Westamerica Bancorporation (WABC Quick QuoteWABC - Free Report) is looking like an interesting pick from a technical perspective, as the company reached a key level of support. Recently, WABC's 50-day simple moving average crossed above its 200-day simple moving average, known as a "golden cross."

There's a reason traders love a golden cross -- it's a technical chart pattern that can indicate a bullish breakout is on the horizon. This kind of crossover is formed when a stock's short-term moving average breaks above a longer-term moving average. Typically, a golden cross involves the 50-day and the 200-day moving averages, since bigger time periods tend to form stronger breakouts.

A successful golden cross event has three stages. It first begins when a stock's price on the decline bottoms out. Then, its shorter moving average crosses above its longer moving average, triggering a positive trend reversal. The third and final phase occurs when the stock maintains its upward momentum.

A golden cross is the opposite of a death cross, another technical event that indicates bearish price movement may be on the horizon.

Over the past four weeks, WABC has gained 9.8%. The company currently sits at a #1 (Strong Buy) on the Zacks Rank, also indicating that the stock could be poised for a breakout.

The bullish case solidifies once investors consider WABC's positive earnings outlook. For the current quarter, no earnings estimate has been cut compared to 1 revisions higher in the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased too.

With a winning combination of earnings estimate revisions and hitting a key technical level, investors should keep their eye on WABC for more gains in the near future.