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

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

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in East West Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth $1,203,000. Meitav Investment House Ltd. raised its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Meitav Investment House Ltd. now owns 3,137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 34,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,265,000 after acquiring an additional 3,200 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 178.5% during the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 8,821 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 5,654 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at about $986,000. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

East West Bancorp Stock Up 0.4 %

EWBC stock opened at $93.71 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.99 billion, a PE ratio of 11.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a twelve month low of $68.78 and a twelve month high of $113.95. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $98.37 and its 200-day moving average is $94.10.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on EWBC shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of East West Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $96.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on East West Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $112.00 target price for the company. One research 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. According to MarketBeat, East West Bancorp has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $110.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $133,275.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,521,643.21. This trade represents a 8.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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.