Westamerica Bancorporation (WABC)

In the past six months, Westamerica Bancorporation has reported earnings that have impacted its stock, with EPS consistently exceeding analyst expectations in Q4 2024 and Q1, Q2, and Q3 2025. The company has consistently declared quarterly cash dividends, including dividends of $0.46 per share declared in October and August 2025, and $0.44 per share declared in November 2025. A stock repurchase plan was announced in February 2025, and in Q3 2025, Westamerica retired 488 thousand common shares. In November 2025, the company's shares climbed following signals regarding potential interest rate adjustments.

The banking industry experiences seasonality in loan demand, increasing in spring and summer and decreasing in December, January, and February, influenced by interest rates. Westamerica Bancorporation's demand follows these trends, and the company acknowledges that a decrease in demand for loans is a risk factor.

Westamerica Bancorporation (WABC) is a bank holding company providing banking services to individual and commercial customers, operating in the regional-Pacific banks industry. Its products include commercial, real estate, and consumer loans, as well as retail savings and checking accounts, certificates of deposit, and data processing services.

Westamerica Bancorporation's operations are concentrated in Northern and Central California, serving 20 counties through its subsidiary, Westamerica Bank, which operates over 50 branches in 12 California counties. The company's headquarters are located in Fairfield, California.

Westamerica Bancorporation has received positive recognition, ranking first among publicly traded banks in Bank Director's 2025 RankingBanking study and Forbes "America's Best Banks" listed Westamerica first among California-based banks and 14th nationally. Westamerica also ranked first in the Raymond James Community Bankers Cup for both 2023 and 2024 performance. No negative events impacting the brand reputation were found.

Institutional investors hold 81% of Westamerica Bancorporation's stock, with the largest shareholders being BlackRock, Inc. (15%), The Vanguard Group, Inc. (13%), and American Century Investment Management Inc. (7.3%). CEO David Payne holds 4.4% of the company's shares.