Squarepoint Ops LLC Buys Shares of 150,357 Community West Bancshares $CWBC

Key Points

• Squarepoint Ops LLC initiated a 150,357-share position in Community West Bancshares valued at approximately $4.04 million, representing 0.55% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 33.80% of CWBC.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $28.17. The stock recently traded at $26.19, within its 52-week range of $19.78 to $28.17.
• Community West Bancshares exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.45 in EPS versus the $0.30 consensus estimate, and paid a quarterly dividend of $0.12, equivalent to a 1.8% annualized yield.

Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 150,357 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,039,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.55% of Community West Bancshares at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Community West Bancshares by 275.2% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,136,107 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,516,000 after acquiring an additional 833,312 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Community West Bancshares in the second quarter valued at $64,110,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Community West Bancshares in the second quarter valued at $2,601,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of Community West Bancshares by 159.1% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 70,984 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,654,000 after purchasing an additional 43,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in shares of Community West Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at $9,091,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 33.80% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CWBC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Community West Bancshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Community West Bancshares in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $28.17.

Community West Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of CWBC opened at $26.19 on Friday. Community West Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $19.78 and a fifty-two week high of $28.17. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $26.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.78. The company has a market cap of $710.53 million, a P/E ratio of 14.16 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $54.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $55.65 million. Community West Bancshares had a net margin of 16.86% and a return on equity of 10.12%. On average, research analysts forecast that Community West Bancshares will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Community West Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th were paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. Community West Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jagroop Gill acquired 4,770 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $24.88 per share, with a total value of $118,677.60. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders bought a total of 5,374 shares of company stock worth $133,078 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 9.03% of the company's stock.

Community West Bancshares Company 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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