Western Alliance Offers Shareholders a New Share Repurchase Program

Western Alliance Bancorporation’s WAL board of directors has approved a new share repurchase program of up to $300 million of its common stock. This authorization does not carry an expiration date, giving the company flexibility to repurchase shares at its discretion.

The repurchases may be executed through open-market purchases, private transactions, block trades, or under trading plans established in accordance with SEC Rule 10b5-1. Further, the open-market buybacks will be conducted under the limitations of Rule 10b-18.

The company previously did not have any share repurchase program. The timing, volume, and pricing of repurchases will depend on market conditions, regulatory requirements, liquidity needs, and other considerations. The board also retains full discretion to end the repurchase program at any point while it remains active.

WAL's Other Capital Distribution Activities

The company pays its quarterly dividend regularly. On July 31, 2025, WAL announced a quarterly cash dividend of 38 cents per share. The dividend was paid on Aug. 29, 2025, to its shareholders of record as of Aug. 14.

In October 2024, the company hiked its quarterly dividend by 2.7% to 38 cents per share. It has increased its dividend payout four times in the past five years and has a payout ratio of 20%. Considering yesterday’s closing price of $89.05, WAL’s dividend yield is currently pinned at 1.71%. These steady capital distribution activities will help in further enhancing shareholder confidence in the stock.

Dividend Yield

Western Alliance also maintains a decent liquidity profile. Its’s total cash and cash equivalents were $2.8 billion as of June 30, 2024. As of the same date, the company’s total debt stood at $6.7 billion, while it has no current debt.

Given its decent liquidity profile, Western Alliance’s capital distribution activities seem sustainable.

WAL’s Zacks Rank & Price Performance

Shares of WAL have gained 3.5% over the past year compared with the industry’s growth of 12.3%.

Price Performance

WAL currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.

Other Finance Firms Taking Similar Steps

Last week, U.S. Bancorp USB announced a quarterly cash dividend of 52 cents per share, reflecting a 4% hike compared with the preceding payout. The dividend will be paid on Oct. 15, 2025, to shareholders of record as of Sept. 30. At this rate, the annualized dividend of the company comes to $2.08 per share.

Earlier, in September 2024, the bank raised its dividend by 2% to 50 cents per share. Over the past five years, USB has increased its dividend five times. Moreover, the company has a five-year annualized dividend growth rate of 4.01%.

In August 2025, M&T Bank Corporation MTB announced an increase in its quarterly cash dividend. The bank has raised its dividend by 11.1% from the prior payout to $1.50 per share. The dividend will be paid out on Sept. 30, 2025, to shareholders of record on Sept. 2.

Prior to the recent hike, in May 2025, MTB increased its dividend by 4% to $1.35 per share. After considering the last day’s closing price of $190.36, M&T Bank’s dividend yield currently stands at 2.84% compared with the industry’s 3.45%. Over the last five years, the company has increased its dividend four times with an annualized growth rate of 5.36%.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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