12,558 Shares in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Purchased by Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 12,558 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,203,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 10,171 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $974,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in East West Bancorp by 108.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 54,851 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,282,000 after purchasing an additional 28,549 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in East West Bancorp during the third quarter worth $4,157,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 830,133.3% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 24,907 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,061,000 after buying an additional 24,904 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 159.1% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 29,587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,448,000 after buying an additional 18,166 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Stock Up 0.4 %

East West Bancorp stock opened at $93.71 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $98.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.10. The stock has a market cap of $12.99 billion, a PE ratio of 11.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.30. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 1-year low of $68.78 and a 1-year high of $113.95. 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 Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on EWBC. DA Davidson decreased their target price on East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $96.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens cut shares of East West Bancorp from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $100.00 to $97.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Compass Point raised their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $110.38.

Insider Activity at East West Bancorp

In other East West Bancorp news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 725 shares of the firm’s 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 owns 15,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,654,444. This trade represents a 4.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

East West Bancorp Profile

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.