Whittier Trust Co. Increases Stock Holdings in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 259,888 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,746 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co. owned about 0.19% of East West Bancorp worth $24,887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in East West Bancorp by 73.2% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 414 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in East West Bancorp by 119.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 563 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 83.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 662 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the third quarter valued at about $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.53% of the company's stock.

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East West Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ:EWBC traded up $3.27 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $93.26. 1,211,954 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 841,724. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 1 year low of $68.78 and a 1 year high of $113.95. The company has a market cap of $12.91 billion, a PE ratio of 11.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.28. 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 firm's 50 day simple moving average is $96.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.19.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is an increase from East West Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. East West Bancorp's payout ratio is currently 28.81%.

Insider Activity at East West Bancorp

In other news, CEO Dominic Ng sold 19,819 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $1,783,710.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 968,314 shares of the company's stock, valued at $87,148,260. The trade was a 2.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $133,275.75. Following the sale, the director now owns 14,557 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,521,643.21. This trade represents a 8.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 62,181 shares of company stock valued at $5,625,732. 1.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on EWBC shares. Stephens downgraded shares of East West Bancorp from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com raised East West Bancorp from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on East West Bancorp from $100.00 to $97.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Compass Point increased their price objective on East West Bancorp from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $111.31.

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.