B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Purchases New Stake in East West Bancorp, Inc. $EWBC

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired 62,067 East West Bancorp shares during the second quarter, worth approximately $8.0 million. Institutional investors collectively own 89.53% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with the stock holding a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $141.92. Recent target prices range from $131 to $152.
• East West Bancorp exceeded quarterly expectations with $2.63 EPS and $789.98 million in revenue, while revenue increased 12.5% year over year. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.80, yielding about 2.5% annually.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG bought a new stake in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 62,067 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $8,012,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in East West Bancorp by 66.9% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 801 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $274,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in East West Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth $290,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in East West Bancorp by 34.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,223 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $325,000 after buying an additional 823 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in East West Bancorp by 118.7% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 35,335 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,568,000 after acquiring an additional 19,178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.53% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.02, for a total transaction of $135,020.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 13,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,850,989.18. The trade was a 6.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Irene H. Oh sold 11,211 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.00, for a total transaction of $1,446,219.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 85,998 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,093,742. This represents a 11.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 33,511 shares of company stock valued at $4,312,741 in the last 90 days. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on EWBC shares. Stephens boosted their target price on East West Bancorp from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on East West Bancorp from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded East West Bancorp from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on East West Bancorp from $128.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $152.00 target price on shares of East West Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $141.92.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of EWBC opened at $129.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.49, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.94. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 12 month low of $92.67 and a 12 month high of $137.47. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $121.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $789.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $784.47 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 30.45% and a return on equity of 16.07%. The company's revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.24 EPS. Research analysts forecast that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 10.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 3rd were paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 3rd. East West Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.77%.

East West Bancorp Company Profile

East West Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company and the parent of East West Bank, one of the largest independent banks headquartered in Southern California. As a full-service commercial bank, it provides a broad range of financial products and services to business and individual customers, including commercial and residential real estate lending, working capital lines of credit, trade finance, and deposit and treasury management services. The company caters to both large and middle-market businesses, leveraging its expertise to serve clients engaged in cross-border trade and investment between the United States and Greater China.

Founded in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, East West Bank has grown steadily through organic expansion and strategic branch openings.

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