Angel Oak Capital Advisors LLC Makes New $1.02 Million Investment in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

Angel Oak Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 10,600 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,015,000. East West Bancorp comprises approximately 1.3% of Angel Oak Capital Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 109.1% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,818 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 1,992 shares during the period. Creative Planning raised its holdings in East West Bancorp by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 16,094 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,332,000 after acquiring an additional 992 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in East West Bancorp by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 3,550 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,451 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares during the period. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 5.5% during the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 3,178 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. 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 report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $120.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Stephens downgraded shares of East West Bancorp from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.38.

East West Bancorp Stock Down 3.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EWBC traded down $3.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $93.89. 717,176 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 864,196. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $98.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.54. The firm has a market cap of $13.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.27, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.91. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 52-week low of $68.78 and a 52-week high of $113.95.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This is a boost from East West Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. East West Bancorp's payout ratio is presently 28.81%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 725 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.50, for a total value of $75,762.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 15,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,654,444. This represents a 4.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.04% of the company's stock.

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.