East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Shares Sold by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC trimmed its position in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) by 23.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,633 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,954 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $2,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of EWBC. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in East West Bancorp by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 10,171 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $974,000 after buying an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 108.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 54,851 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,282,000 after acquiring an additional 28,549 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,157,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 830,133.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 24,907 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 24,904 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,804,288 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $149,287,000 after acquiring an additional 123,376 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.53% of the company's stock.

East West Bancorp Stock Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ EWBC traded down $0.27 on Wednesday, reaching $101.36. The company had a trading volume of 987,027 shares, compared to its average volume of 904,210. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 52-week low of $67.27 and a 52-week high of $113.95. The company's fifty day moving average is $100.64 and its 200 day moving average is $92.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is 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 dividend yield of 2.37%. East West Bancorp's payout ratio is 26.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $133,275.75. Following the sale, 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 through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas Paul Krause sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.61, for a total transaction of $1,279,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,840,413.83. The trade was a 20.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,488,358. Company insiders own 1.04% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on EWBC shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays cut their price objective on East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $120.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $112.00 price target for the company. 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.38.

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.