The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, Dec. 12, edition that National Bank Financial analyst Gabriel Dechaine called the fourth quarter results from Canadian Western Bank a "strong end to the year," emphasizing net interest margins are "on the upswing." The Globe's David Leeder writes that Mr. Dechaine has reaffirmed his "outperform" recommendation for Canadian Western Bank. Mr. Dechaine boosted his share target by a loonie to $34. Analysts on average target the shares at $33.91. On Friday the bank posted adjusted earnings per share of 94 cents in its latest quarter, up from 7 per cent (from 88 cents) during the same period a year ago and six cents above the consensus expectation on the Street due to an increase in net interest margin and "prudent" expense management. Revenue of $291.76-million also topped the expectations of analysts. Mr. Dechaine says in a note: "The bank didn't quantify savings. Rather, management indicated that the restructuring would enable it to maintain planned investments, while also delivering expense growth in the mid-single digits (i.e., comparable to 6 per cent in 2023)." The Globe reported on Dec. 6 that Mr. Dechaine rated Canadian Western "outperform." It was then worth $30.25.