Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Invests $2.95 Million in Hope Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOPE)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Hope Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOPE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 239,597 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,945,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.20% of Hope Bancorp at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hope Bancorp by 181.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,407 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in Hope Bancorp by 819.1% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,713 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 3,309 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Hope Bancorp by 36.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 7,093 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $87,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new position in Hope Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $133,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC purchased a new position in Hope Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth $135,000. Institutional investors own 84.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hope Bancorp from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th.

Hope Bancorp Stock Performance

HOPE stock traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $9.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 313,153 shares, compared to its average volume of 932,804. The stock has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 0.88. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $9.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Hope Bancorp, Inc. has a 1 year low of $8.82 and a 1 year high of $14.53.

Hope Bancorp (NASDAQ:HOPE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $217.17 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $114.97 million. Hope Bancorp had a return on equity of 4.84% and a net margin of 9.95%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.23 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hope Bancorp, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current year.

Hope Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. Hope Bancorp's payout ratio is 71.79%.

About Hope Bancorp

Hope Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Bank of Hope that provides retail and commercial banking services for businesses and individuals in the United States. It accepts personal and business checking, money market, savings, time deposit, and individual retirement accounts. The company also offers loans comprising commercial and industrial loans to businesses for various purposes, such as working capital, purchasing inventory, debt refinancing, business acquisitions, international trade finance, other business-related financing, and loans syndication services; commercial real estate loans; residential mortgage loans; small business administration loans; and consumer loans, such as single-family mortgage, home equity, automobile, credit card, and personal loans.