Quantbot Technologies LP Makes New $1.11 Million Investment in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 13,355 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,105,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in East West Bancorp during the second quarter valued at approximately $59,460,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 152.1% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 374,213 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,404,000 after purchasing an additional 225,799 shares during the last quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY raised its holdings in East West Bancorp by 30.6% during the 2nd quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 649,708 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $47,578,000 after buying an additional 152,334 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its holdings in East West Bancorp by 39.9% during the 3rd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 520,656 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $43,079,000 after buying an additional 148,530 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in East West Bancorp by 1.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,882,803 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $652,223,000 after buying an additional 136,528 shares during the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

East West Bancorp Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of EWBC stock traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $109.68. The stock had a trading volume of 309,404 shares, compared to its average volume of 850,884. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.87 and a 12-month high of $113.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The firm's 50-day moving average is $95.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.27.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $641.80 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 24.96% and a return on equity of 16.07%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.02 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. East West Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.78%.

Insider Activity at East West Bancorp

In other news, insider Irene H. Oh sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.50, for a total value of $985,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 117,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,543,510.50. This trade represents a 7.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.65, for a total transaction of $147,975.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,639 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,049,537.35. This trade represents a 12.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 23,969 shares of company stock valued at $2,458,276 over the last ninety days. 1.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EWBC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $91.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. DA Davidson upped their target price on East West Bancorp from $100.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded East West Bancorp from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $102.25.

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.