East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Shares Acquired by Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) by 46.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 115,321 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 36,554 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned approximately 0.08% of East West Bancorp worth $10,894,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EWBC. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in East West Bancorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 83.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 662 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in East West Bancorp in the third quarter valued at about $79,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 822.9% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,006 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 897 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.53% of the company's stock.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of East West Bancorp stock traded down $3.23 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $93.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 717,176 shares, compared to its average volume of 864,196. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $98.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.54. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a one year low of $68.78 and a one year high of $113.95. The stock has a market cap of $13.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.30.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is an increase from East West Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.56%. East West Bancorp's payout ratio is 28.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EWBC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens downgraded shares of East West Bancorp from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays dropped their price objective on East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $120.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on East West Bancorp from $96.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $110.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other East West Bancorp 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 owns 14,557 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,521,643.21. This trade represents a 8.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.04% of the stock is owned by 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.