Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC) Stock Price

Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC - Free Report) had its target price decreased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $21.00 to $19.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has a market perform rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on CWBC. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Community West Bancshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Community West Bancshares from $26.00 to $24.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

Community West Bancshares Price Performance

NASDAQ:CWBC traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $17.37. 55,102 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 52,476. Community West Bancshares has a 52 week low of $15.57 and a 52 week high of $22.89. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $17.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a market cap of $331.09 million, a P/E ratio of 33.40 and a beta of 0.78.

Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $34.79 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.05 million. Community West Bancshares had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 7.90%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Community West Bancshares will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Community West Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.76%. Community West Bancshares's payout ratio is 73.85%.

Insider Activity at Community West Bancshares

In other news, President Martin E. Plourd sold 7,732 shares of Community West Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.26, for a total value of $148,918.32. Following the transaction, the president now owns 82,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,593,514.62. The trade was a 8.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James J. Kim bought 1,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of $17.36 per share, with a total value of $27,776.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,178 shares in the company, valued at $1,044,690.08. This trade represents a 2.73 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 6,805 shares of company stock valued at $121,808. Insiders own 10.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Community West Bancshares

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Community West Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Community West Bancshares by 33.8% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,096 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE purchased a new stake in Community West Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Community West Bancshares by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,600 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 1,041 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Community West Bancshares during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $245,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 33.80% of the company's stock.

About Community West Bancshares

Community West Bancshares operates as the bank holding company for Community West Bank, N.A. that provides various financial products and services in California. The company offers deposit products, such as checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, and fixed rate and fixed maturity certificates of deposits; and cash management products.