BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $3.94 Million Holdings in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,187 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,671 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $3,944,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EWBC. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in East West Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 73.2% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 414 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 119.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 563 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 83.4% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $100,000. 89.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at East West Bancorp

In other news, EVP Lisa L. Kim sold 2,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.04, for a total transaction of $199,584.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,849 shares in the company, valued at $1,411,248.96. This trade represents a 12.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dominic Ng sold 40,000 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.43, for a total value of $3,857,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 928,314 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $89,517,319.02. The trade was a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 102,281 shares of company stock worth $9,473,478. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ:EWBC traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $94.95. The stock had a trading volume of 26,900 shares, compared to its average volume of 914,529. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $85.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.09 billion, a PE ratio of 11.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.90. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 12 month low of $68.27 and a 12 month high of $113.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.04. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 25.73% and a return on equity of 15.71%. The company had revenue of $693.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $673.02 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current year.

East West Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. East West Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their target price on East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set a "hold" rating and a $102.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of East West Bancorp from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $100.00 to $97.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their target price on East West Bancorp from $118.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $105.54.

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.