Schroder Investment Management Group Has $272.65 Million Stock Position in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,831,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 183,675 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $272,652,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in 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. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in East West Bancorp by 119.1% during 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. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 83.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 822.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,006 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 897 shares during the period. 89.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at East West Bancorp

In other East West Bancorp news, CEO Dominic Ng sold 19,819 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total transaction of $1,783,710.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 968,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,148,260. The trade was a 2.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jack C. Liu sold 725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $1,654,444. This trade represents a 4.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 62,181 shares of company stock worth $5,625,732 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EWBC opened at $89.07 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a 50-day moving average of $95.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.42. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $68.78 and a fifty-two week 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 17th. Shareholders 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 2.69%. This is a boost from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on EWBC shares. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on East West Bancorp from $100.00 to $97.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Stephens lowered shares of East West Bancorp from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of East West Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $112.00 target price for the company. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $111.31.

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.