East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Vice Chairman Sells 10,000 Shares of Stock

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Vice Chairman Douglas Paul Krause sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.37, for a total transaction of $1,323,700.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 36,974 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,894,248.38. This trade represents a 21.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Douglas Paul Krause also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, May 27th, Douglas Paul Krause sold 10,000 shares of East West Bancorp stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total transaction of $1,235,000.00.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

EWBC traded down $1.37 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $131.88. The company had a trading volume of 430,708 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,022,324. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 12-month low of $92.67 and a 12-month high of $136.24. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $129.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $120.42. The stock has a market cap of $18.07 billion, a PE ratio of 12.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $791.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $784.47 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 30.45% and a return on equity of 16.07%. East West Bancorp’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.24 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 10.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on EWBC shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Truist Financial increased their target price on East West Bancorp from $128.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on East West Bancorp from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, East West Bancorp presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.62.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EWBC. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in East West Bancorp during the second quarter valued at $481,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at about $130,744,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at about $871,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of East West Bancorp during the second quarter worth about $309,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

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.