East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Director Sells $75,762.50 in Stock

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Director Jack C. Liu sold 725 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.50, for a total transaction of $75,762.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,654,444. This trade represents a 4.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EWBC opened at $103.25 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $101.28 and a 200-day moving average of $91.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.27 and a 12 month high of $113.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.31 billion, a PE ratio of 13.04, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.30.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is an increase from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.78%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On East West Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EWBC. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in East West Bancorp by 362.8% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 361 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. Tobam increased its stake in East West Bancorp by 131.7% during the 3rd quarter. Tobam now owns 482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in East West Bancorp during the third quarter worth $79,000. 89.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on EWBC shares. StockNews.com lowered East West Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Compass Point increased their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on East West Bancorp from $96.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $110.38.

About East West Bancorp

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.