Blue Trust Inc. Has $580,000 Holdings in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) by 170.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,465 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,075 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.'s holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $580,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in EWBC. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in 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 valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in East West Bancorp by 89.7% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 518 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in East West Bancorp by 448.9% during the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 516 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.53% of the company's stock.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of EWBC opened at $95.08 on Friday. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 12-month low of $68.27 and a 12-month high of $113.95. The business's fifty day moving average is $89.22 and its 200 day moving average is $92.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market cap of $13.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.92.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.04. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 15.23% and a net margin of 25.73%. The company had revenue of $693.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $673.02 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

East West Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. East West Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at East West Bancorp

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EWBC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of East West Bancorp from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $118.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $107.85.

East West Bancorp Company Profile

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.

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