UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Has $46.62 Million Holdings in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) by 11.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 486,826 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 51,052 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.35% of East West Bancorp worth $46,618,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 1,667.7% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 670,156 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $64,174,000 after buying an additional 632,245 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC acquired a new position in East West Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $1,072,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in East West Bancorp by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 100,320 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,699,000 after buying an additional 15,475 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in East West Bancorp by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 755,555 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $72,352,000 after buying an additional 68,528 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in East West Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at $100,000. Institutional investors own 89.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at East West Bancorp

In related news, CEO Dominic Ng sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 928,314 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $89,517,319.02. The trade was a 4.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Lisa L. Kim sold 2,100 shares of the business'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 value of $199,584.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,411,248.96. This trade represents a 12.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 102,281 shares of company stock valued at $9,473,478 in the last 90 days. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

East West Bancorp Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ:EWBC traded down $0.57 on Friday, hitting $91.45. 145,987 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 919,899. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 1 year low of $68.27 and a 1 year high of $113.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $85.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.09. The company has a market cap of $12.60 billion, a PE ratio of 10.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.90.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $693.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $673.02 million. Equities analysts anticipate that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut shares of East West Bancorp from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $118.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $118.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted 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 note 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, East West Bancorp presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $107.85.

East West Bancorp 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.