East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Lowered to "Sell" at StockNews.com

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wedbush boosted their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $92.77.

East West Bancorp Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ EWBC traded down $2.75 during trading on Monday, hitting $89.08. 906,950 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 924,860. East West Bancorp has a 12-month low of $51.33 and a 12-month high of $93.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $82.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.39 billion, a PE ratio of 11.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.29.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $638.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $631.61 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 25.40% and a return on equity of 16.64%. East West Bancorp's revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that East West Bancorp will post 8.2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at East West Bancorp

In related news, Director Rudolph Estrada sold 1,896 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.77, for a total value of $166,411.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,470 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,621,111.90. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.50, for a total value of $167,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,557 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,382,509.50. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rudolph Estrada sold 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.77, for a total value of $166,411.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 18,470 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,621,111.90. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,346 shares of company stock valued at $1,108,160. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On East West Bancorp

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the first quarter valued at approximately $3,961,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,832,000. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 197.8% in the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 15,860 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,255,000 after acquiring an additional 10,535 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the first quarter valued at approximately $909,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $852,000. 89.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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