Nomura Holdings Inc. Invests $1.76 Million in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 18,395 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,762,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. NorthRock Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth about $244,000. Interval Partners LP purchased a new position in East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,754,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in East West Bancorp by 136.1% during the 4th quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 56,121 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,374,000 after acquiring an additional 32,346 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new stake in East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,910,000. Finally, FORA Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at $1,072,000. 89.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EWBC has been the subject of several recent research reports. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $118.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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. Truist Financial assumed coverage on East West Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $102.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $107.85.

Insider Transactions at East West Bancorp

In other East West Bancorp news, CEO Dominic Ng sold 20,181 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.01, for a total value of $1,816,491.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 988,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $88,941,851.33. This represents a 2.00% decrease in their position. 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 business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were 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 in the company, 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 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.04% of the company's stock.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ EWBC traded up $0.79 on Thursday, hitting $91.46. The company had a trading volume of 539,148 shares, compared to its average volume of 918,300. 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 company's fifty day moving average price is $85.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.53. The company has a market capitalization of $12.61 billion, a PE ratio of 11.00, a PEG 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.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $693.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $673.02 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 25.73% and a return on equity of 15.71%. As a group, analysts predict 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. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.62%. East West Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.64%.

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.