Analysts Set East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Target Price at $111.31

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $111.31.

Several brokerages have recently commented on EWBC. UBS Group began coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $112.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on East West Bancorp from $127.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on East West Bancorp from $100.00 to $97.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays reduced their price objective on 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, Stephens lowered shares of East West Bancorp from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th.

East West Bancorp Trading Down 5.0 %

NASDAQ EWBC opened at $74.04 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.28. 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 has a 12 month low of $68.78 and a 12 month high of $113.95. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $93.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $95.58.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 17th. Stockholders 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 is an increase from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. East West Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 28.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $133,275.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,557 shares in the company, valued at $1,521,643.21. This represents a 8.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Dominic Ng sold 20,181 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.01, for a total value of $1,816,491.81. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 988,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $88,941,851.33. The trade was a 2.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 62,181 shares of company stock valued at $5,625,732 in the last three months. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On East West Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in East West Bancorp during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 73.2% during the fourth 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 during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 89.7% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 518 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 119.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 563 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the period. 89.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

East West Bancorp Company 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.