SG Americas Securities LLC Buys 6,235 Shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) by 470.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,559 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,235 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $678,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in EWBC. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in East West Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 89.7% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 518 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in East West Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at $100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at East West Bancorp

In related news, EVP Lisa L. Kim sold 2,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was 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 directly owns 14,849 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,411,248.96. This represents a 12.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dominic Ng sold 40,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 928,314 shares of the company's stock, valued at $89,517,319.02. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

NASDAQ EWBC traded up $1.45 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $98.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 993,668 shares, compared to its average volume of 929,020. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.27 and a 52 week high of $113.95. The firm has a market cap of $13.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $89.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.04. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 25.73% and a return on equity of 15.23%. The firm had revenue of $693.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $673.02 million. Equities research analysts forecast that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. East West Bancorp's payout ratio is presently 28.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on EWBC shares. DA Davidson dropped their target price on East West Bancorp from $118.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on East West Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. 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. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $102.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of East West Bancorp from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, East West Bancorp presently 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.