West Ban (WTBA) Declares $0.25 Dividend

West Ban said on January 25, 2023 that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share ($1.00 annualized). Shareholders of record as of February 7, 2023 will receive the payment on February 22, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.25 per share.

At the current share price of $21.90 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 4.57%. Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 3.83%, the lowest has been 2.69%, and the highest has been 5.49%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.62 (n=236).

The current dividend yield is 1.18 standard deviations above the historical average.

Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 0.36. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5.

The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is 0.19%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time.

Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 16.44% Upside

As of February 1, 2023, the average one-year price target for West Ban is $25.50. The forecasts range from a low of $25.25 to a high of $26.25. The average price target represents an increase of 16.44% from its latest reported closing price of $21.90.

The projected annual revenue for West Ban is $102MM, a decrease of 2.44%. The projected annual EPS is $2.25, a decrease of 19.20%.

Fund Sentiment

There are 212 funds or institutions reporting positions in West Ban. This is a decrease of 5 owner(s) or 2.30%.

Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to US:WTBA is 0.1037%, an increase of 5.9154%. Total shares owned by institutions increased in the last three months by 1.12% to 7,663K shares.

What are large shareholders doing?

FLPSX - Fidelity Low-Priced Stock Fund holds 632,668 shares representing 3.80% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 632,918 shares, representing a decrease of 0.04%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in WTBA by 9.83% over the last quarter.

VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 398,357 shares representing 2.39% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter.

West Ban holds 394,866 shares representing 2.37% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 399,166 shares, representing a decrease of 1.09%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in WTBA by 21.46% over the last quarter.

IWM - iShares Russell 2000 ETF holds 356,387 shares representing 2.14% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 375,669 shares, representing a decrease of 5.41%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in WTBA by 12.16% over the last quarter.

Legacy Bridge holds 318,284 shares representing 1.91% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 319,284 shares, representing a decrease of 0.31%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in WTBA by 9.07% over the last quarter.

West Ban Background Information
(This description is provided by the company.)

West Bancorporation, Inc. is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa. Serving customers since 1893, West Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of West Bancorporation, Inc., is a community bank that focuses on lending, deposit services, and trust services for consumers and small- to medium-sized businesses. West Bank has eight offices in the Des Moines, Iowa metropolitan area, one office in Coralville, Iowa, and four offices in Minnesota in the cities of Rochester, Owatonna, Mankato and St. Cloud.

This story originally appeared on Fintel.