Hope Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOPE) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Hope Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOPE) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $13.1667.

HOPE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Hope Bancorp from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $14.50 price target on shares of Hope Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hope Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hope Bancorp in a report on Monday, December 29th.

Hope Bancorp Stock Down 3.1%

Shares of HOPE traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $11.78. 342,608 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 970,081. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $11.22 and its 200-day moving average is $10.87. The company has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.22 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. Hope Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $8.82 and a fifty-two week high of $12.35.

Hope Bancorp (NASDAQ:HOPE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.01. Hope Bancorp had a return on equity of 4.70% and a net margin of 4.89%.The business had revenue of $145.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $142.90 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.20 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hope Bancorp will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hope Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 6th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.8%. Hope Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 143.59%.

Key Headlines Impacting Hope Bancorp

Here are the key news stories impacting Hope Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hope reported Q4 results that topped estimates — $0.27 EPS vs. $0.26 consensus and revenue of $145.8M (up 23.6% YoY); net income rose ~42% YoY. Business Wire: Q4 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management set a 2026 revenue-growth target of 15%–20% and plans continued expansion in Hawaii — a clear growth guide that supports medium-term upside. MSN: Growth Target & Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.14 (annualized yield ~4.6%), which supports income-focused holders and can reduce downside.
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed its “buy” rating and set a $14.50 price target, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga: DA Davidson Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target to $13.00 but kept a “market perform” rating — a modest upgrade that stops short of an outright bullish endorsement. Benzinga: KBW Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings materials and transcripts (slide deck, call transcript, presentation) were posted for investors to inspect underlying trends and loan/credit commentary. Seeking Alpha: Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the beat, the EPS surprise was small (+$0.01) and some analysts’ tone is cautious (market-perform rating from KBW), which can cap immediate upside and prompt profit-taking. Zacks: Q4 Metrics vs. Estimates

Insider Buying and Selling at Hope Bancorp

In other news, Director David P. Malone sold 20,820 shares of Hope Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.50, for a total value of $239,430.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 66,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $766,567. This trade represents a 23.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 26,787 shares of company stock valued at $303,917. Company insiders own 5.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hope Bancorp

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hope Bancorp by 366.8% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,340,635 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $14,439,000 after acquiring an additional 1,053,434 shares in the last quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Hope Bancorp by 29.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc now owns 1,896,501 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,425,000 after buying an additional 435,165 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of Hope Bancorp by 56.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,136,902 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,244,000 after acquiring an additional 409,633 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Hope Bancorp by 54.2% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 877,835 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,419,000 after buying an additional 308,646 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Hope Bancorp by 2.7% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 11,335,999 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $122,089,000 after purchasing an additional 303,019 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.00% of the company’s stock.

Hope Bancorp Company Profile

Hope Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Hope Bank, a California-chartered financial institution serving small and middle-market businesses, professionals and affluent individuals. The company’s principal activities include accepting a variety of deposit products—such as checking accounts, savings and money market accounts, and time deposits—and extending commercial credit facilities. With a focus on community banking, Hope Bancorp tailors its offerings to meet the needs of clients in diverse industries, including real estate, professional services and import/export trade.

In its lending business, Hope Bancorp provides commercial real estate loans, construction financing, working capital lines of credit and equipment financing.