Sei Investments Co. Boosts Stake in Community West Bancshares $CWBC

Key Points

• Sei Investments Co. increased its Community West Bancshares stake by 159.1% in the first quarter, owning 70,984 shares valued at approximately $1.65 million. Institutional investors collectively own 33.8% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with three Buy ratings and two Hold ratings, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $28.17.
• CWBC reported quarterly EPS of $0.45, beating estimates by $0.15, and declared a $0.12 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 1.9% annualized yield. The stock opened at $24.90, down 1.2%.

Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC - Free Report) by 159.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 70,984 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 43,590 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.37% of Community West Bancshares worth $1,654,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Community West Bancshares by 4.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 840,454 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $19,582,000 after purchasing an additional 38,044 shares during the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP raised its position in shares of Community West Bancshares by 34.1% in the 4th quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 411,859 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,267,000 after purchasing an additional 104,779 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Community West Bancshares by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 334,322 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,522,000 after buying an additional 16,340 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of Community West Bancshares by 85.5% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 167,008 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,758,000 after buying an additional 77,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Community West Bancshares by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 164,621 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,704,000 after buying an additional 5,980 shares during the last quarter. 33.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on CWBC shares. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Community West Bancshares from $30.00 to $30.50 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Community West Bancshares in a research report on Friday, July 10th. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $29.00 price target on shares of Community West Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Community West Bancshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $28.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jagroop Gill purchased 4,770 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $24.88 per share, with a total value of $118,677.60. Following the purchase, the director owned 588,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,631,106.96. This trade represents a 0.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders purchased 5,287 shares of company stock valued at $130,256 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 9.03% of the company's stock.

Community West Bancshares Stock Down 1.2%

CWBC opened at $24.90 on Tuesday. Community West Bancshares has a 12 month low of $18.77 and a 12 month high of $28.17. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $25.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $675.54 million, a P/E ratio of 13.46 and a beta of 0.80.

Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $54.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.65 million. Community West Bancshares had a net margin of 16.86% and a return on equity of 11.35%. As a group, research analysts predict that Community West Bancshares will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Community West Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. Community West Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is 25.95%.

Community West Bancshares Profile

Community West Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Community West Bank, headquartered in Goleta, California. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company offers a full suite of commercial and consumer banking services. Community West Bancshares focuses on providing personalized financial solutions to small and mid-sized businesses, professional practices, and individual customers in its service area.

The company's product portfolio includes a variety of deposit accounts—such as business checking, savings and money market accounts—along with online and mobile banking capabilities.

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