Western Alliance Bancorporation (WAL)

Western Alliance Bancorporation trades at $76.30 with a CleaRank rating of Hold and a score of 58 out of 100, after the stock slipped 1.17% in the latest session. The price sits below both its 50-day average of $76.81 and its 200-day average of $79.50, and it is 21.53% below its 52-week high of $97.23. The stock's valuation is the main reason the score is not lower: a trailing P/E of 8.28 compares with a sector median of 16.5. Against that, the October 19, 2026 report missed the EPS estimate, and the trend is still pointing down.

At a trailing P/E of 8.28, the stock trades at a discount to peers, against a sector median of 16.5, which is 49.8% below. Reported earnings per share over the last twelve months were $9.22, which is the figure behind that P/E. A low multiple like this usually reflects doubts about future earnings, and the stock's earnings record and slower revenue growth show some of those doubts.

Over the last eight reports, two beat the EPS estimate and six missed. The most recent report, dated October 19, 2026, showed adjusted EPS of $2.34 against an estimate of $2.43. That 3.70% miss followed a 2.98% miss on July 21, 2026 and an 8.09% miss on April 21, 2026. Only the January 27, 2026 report beat, by 8.82%.

The stock is 0.66% below its 50-day SMA and 4.02% below its 200-day SMA, and the 50-day average is 3.38% below the 200-day average. The stock's one-year return is down 4.16%, and it is down 6.38% over three months. The 14-day RSI of 49.6 sits in the neutral zone, and the MACD line is positive, so momentum has stabilised even though the trend remains down.

Profitability is stronger than growth: the net profit margin is 27.7%, the operating margin is 39.03%, and return on equity is 13.15%, which is slightly below the sector median of 13.8%. The dividend yield is 2.20%, based on an annual dividend of $1.68.

The base case is that the stock keeps trading in a narrow band near its moving averages until it shows whether it can hold above the 200-day average. Earnings growth is expected to pick up: analysts' estimates call for EPS to rise 3.8% this fiscal year and 22.2% next year, and that path supports the low valuation. The analysts' median 12-month target of $90.00 sits 18.0% above the price, and the range runs from $82.00 to $96.00. A further miss on EPS, or a break toward the 52-week low of $65.82, would challenge the case that the discount to peers reflects only temporary weakness. The stock's beta of 1.42 means it can move more than the broader market in either direction. Resistance comes in stages above the price: the 20-day EMA at $76.43, the 50-day SMA at $76.81, the 200-day SMA at $79.50, and the 52-week high at $97.23. The two averages closest to the price are very close together, so a move through them would be a small step.