Stephens Inc. AR Decreases Stock Position in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its position in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,402 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 442 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $996,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in EWBC. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 83.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of East West Bancorp during the third quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in East West Bancorp by 822.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,006 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 897 shares in the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

East West Bancorp Stock Up 0.6 %

EWBC stock opened at $97.66 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $99.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $93.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market capitalization of $13.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.30. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.78 and a 52 week high of $113.95.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. This is a positive change from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.81%.

Insider Transactions at East West Bancorp

In related news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.50, for a total value of $75,762.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 15,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,654,444. The trade was a 4.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on EWBC shares. DA Davidson reduced their target price on East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on East West Bancorp from $100.00 to $97.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Stephens lowered shares of East West Bancorp from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, East West Bancorp currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $110.38.

East West Bancorp Profile

East West Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for East West Bank that provides a range of personal and commercial banking services to businesses and individuals in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Consumer and Business Banking, Commercial Banking, and Other.