East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Receives $128.21 Consensus PT from Analysts

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $128.2143.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $126.00 price objective on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $133.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded East West Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 11th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on East West Bancorp from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling at East West Bancorp

In other news, COO Parker Shi sold 8,844 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.03, for a total value of $1,017,325.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 14,950 shares in the company, valued at $1,719,698.50. This trade represents a 37.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Irene H. Oh sold 12,547 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total transaction of $1,442,905.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 93,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,714,205. This trade represents a 11.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 72,364 shares of company stock worth $8,085,227. Company insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On East West Bancorp

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in East West Bancorp during the second quarter worth $27,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in East West Bancorp in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 127.6% in the second quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

East West Bancorp Stock Up 0.0%

East West Bancorp stock opened at $114.44 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $113.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.06. East West Bancorp has a twelve month low of $68.27 and a twelve month high of $119.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.02, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.04. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 15.72% and a net margin of 28.36%.The business had revenue of $754.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $745.04 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that East West Bancorp will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current year.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 25.21%.

About East West Bancorp

East West Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company and the parent of East West Bank, one of the largest independent banks headquartered in Southern California. As a full-service commercial bank, it provides a broad range of financial products and services to business and individual customers, including commercial and residential real estate lending, working capital lines of credit, trade finance, and deposit and treasury management services. The company caters to both large and middle-market businesses, leveraging its expertise to serve clients engaged in cross-border trade and investment between the United States and Greater China.

Founded in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, East West Bank has grown steadily through organic expansion and strategic branch openings.