Westamerica Bancorporation WABC

Competitive advantage analysis · financial-services

Bank Specialized
Overall moat score
72/100
Moderate

About Westamerica Bancorporation

Westamerica Bancorporation operates as a bank holding company for Westamerica Bank that provides various banking products and services to individual and commercial customers in the United States. The company accepts various deposit products from local businesses and professionals, as well as retail savings and checking accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio includes commercial, commercial real estate, … Full WABC analysis →

Competitive advantage assessment

Key strengths

  • Strong Capital Position Capital position is strong (score 0.94), exceeding regulatory minimums.
  • Strong Net Interest Margin Net interest margin proxy is strong (score 0.97).

Key risks

  • Credit Quality Concerns Credit quality is concerning (asset quality score 0.00).
  • Revenue Concentration Risk Revenue concentration is concerning (growth stability 0.40).

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

Upgrade to unlock the signals and evidence behind each defense.

Premium access

Unlock full defense analysis

Get key signals, strengths, and risks for every moat dimension.

Upgrade to Premium Unlock all moat defenses and evidence.

Deposit Franchise

Moderate
61

Where WABC ranks in Banks - Regional

Westamerica Bancorporation ranks #49 of 393 scored companies in Banks - Regional by moat score — the top 12%. The widest moat in the group is 1st Source Corporation (SRCE) at 86/100.

Moat scores for companies ranked near WABC in Banks - Regional
# Company Moat score Rating
45 First Hawaiian, Inc. FHB 73/100 Moderate
46 German American Bancorp, Inc. GABC 73/100 Moderate
47 OFG Bancorp OFG 73/100 Moderate
48 Amalgamated Financial Corp. AMAL 72/100 Moderate
49 Westamerica Bancorporation WABC 72/100 Moderate
50 Nicolet Bankshares Inc. NIC 72/100 Moderate
51 S&T Bancorp, Inc. STBA 72/100 Moderate
52 South Plains Financial, Inc. SPFI 72/100 Moderate
53 Credicorp Ltd. BAP 72/100 Moderate

See every Banks & Lenders company ranked by moat score →

How WABC scores on the Bank Specialized defenses

Deposit Franchise

Score 61 · 22% of the moat score

A deposit franchise is the cheapest and most valuable thing a bank can own.

Lending Advantage

Score 86 · 18% of the moat score

Lending advantage is the ability to originate loans at attractive spreads without buying that volume with looser credit standards.

Capital Strength

Score 89 · 20% of the moat score

Capital is the buffer between loan losses and insolvency, and it is what regulators judge a bank on first.

Cost Discipline

Score 94 · 16% of the moat score

Banking carries high fixed costs in branches, compliance and technology, so what it costs to run the bank relative to what the bank earns is a genuine competitive variable.

Revenue Diversification

Score 25 · 14% of the moat score

A bank earning everything from net interest income is a leveraged bet on the rate cycle.

Risk Management

Score 70 · 10% of the moat score

Risk management is the defense that only reveals itself late.

How each Bank Specialized defense is measured, in full →

Understanding WABC's moat

What is Westamerica Bancorporation's moat score?

Westamerica Bancorporation (WABC) scores 72 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #49 of 393 scored companies in Banks - Regional, the top 12%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 399 companies in Banks - Regional. Its strongest defense is Cost Discipline (94/100) and its weakest is Revenue Diversification (25/100).

How does Westamerica Bancorporation compare with other Banks - Regional companies?

Westamerica Bancorporation ranks #49 of 393 scored companies in Banks - Regional by moat score. The widest moat in Banks - Regional is 1st Source Corporation (SRCE) at 86/100. The companies ranked closest are Amalgamated Financial Corp. (AMAL) at 72 just above it and Nicolet Bankshares Inc. (NIC) at 72 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Bank Specialized in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 399 companies in Banks - Regional. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is Westamerica Bancorporation scored with the Bank Specialized template?

A bank does not sell a product at a margin. It funds itself, lends at a spread, and books profits that remain an estimate until the loans are actually repaid. That makes the usual margin-and-return questions misleading, so the Bank template scores what really determines a bank's durability: where its funding comes from, what it lends against, how much capital stands behind it, and whether it has been pricing risk honestly.

Which competitive defenses are measured for Westamerica Bancorporation?

The Bank Specialized template measures 6 defenses, and WABC scores: Deposit Franchise (61), Lending Advantage (86), Capital Strength (89), Cost Discipline (94), Revenue Diversification (25), Risk Management (70). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

Send Feedback
Please select a category.
0/1000