Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Has $6.85 Million Position in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 71,528 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 413 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned 0.05% of East West Bancorp worth $6,850,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 73.2% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 414 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 83.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Institutional investors own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on EWBC. StockNews.com downgraded East West Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stephens downgraded East West Bancorp from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $110.38.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of East West Bancorp stock opened at $93.71 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $98.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.92. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $68.78 and a fifty-two week high of $113.95.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. This is a positive change from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. East West Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 28.81%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 725 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.50, for a total transaction of $75,762.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 15,832 shares in the company, valued at $1,654,444. This trade represents a 4.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

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.