Two Sigma Investments LP Sells 47,974 Shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

Two Sigma Investments LP trimmed its stake in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) by 63.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,236 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 47,974 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP's holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $2,608,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in East West Bancorp by 73.2% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 414 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in East West Bancorp by 119.1% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $100,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $100,000. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

East West Bancorp Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of East West Bancorp stock traded down $0.68 on Wednesday, hitting $91.56. 84,217 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 919,173. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $85.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.62 billion, a PE ratio of 10.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.90. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a one year low of $68.27 and a one year high of $113.95.

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

East West Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. East West Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on EWBC. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on East West Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson decreased their target price on East West Bancorp from $118.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of 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. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $107.85.

Insider Activity at East West Bancorp

In other East West Bancorp news, CEO Dominic Ng sold 20,181 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.01, for a total value of $1,816,491.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 988,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $88,941,851.33. The trade was a 2.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.04, for a total transaction of $199,584.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,411,248.96. This represents a 12.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 102,281 shares of company stock worth $9,473,478 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.04% of the company's stock.

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.