Cetera Investment Advisers Has $2.05 Million Stock Holdings in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) by 18.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,411 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,260 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $2,050,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in East West Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in East West Bancorp by 83.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 662 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.53% of the company's stock.

East West Bancorp Stock Down 0.7%

East West Bancorp stock traded down $0.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $90.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 434,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 921,423. The firm's 50 day moving average is $85.38 and its 200 day moving average is $94.30. The company has a market cap of $12.45 billion, a PE ratio of 10.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.90. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $68.27 and a 52-week high of $113.95.

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

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. East West Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at East West Bancorp

In related news, CEO Dominic Ng sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 928,314 shares of the company's stock, valued at $89,517,319.02. The trade was a 4.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa L. Kim sold 2,100 shares of East West Bancorp 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,411,248.96. The trade was a 12.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 102,281 shares of company stock valued at $9,473,478 in the last 90 days. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on EWBC shares. Morgan Stanley lowered East West Bancorp from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $118.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Truist Financial assumed coverage on East West Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set a "hold" rating and a $102.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $107.85.

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.