Hope Bancorp (NASDAQ:HOPE) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Hope Bancorp's stock crossed above its 200-day moving average (200‑day MA $11.20), trading around $12.26–$12.28 on Monday, suggesting potential technical strength.
• Analysts are mixed—two Buy and three Hold ratings—with an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.25 (recent targets up to $14.50).
• Fundamentals show a modest beat on the latest quarter (EPS $0.27 vs. $0.26) and revenue up 23.6% YoY; the stock yields about 4.6% but carries a high dividend payout ratio (~121.7%), indicating possible sustainability concerns.

Hope Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOPE - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $11.20 and traded as high as $12.28. Hope Bancorp shares last traded at $12.26, with a volume of 721,169 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HOPE. Zacks Research raised shares of Hope Bancorp from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $14.50 price target on shares of Hope Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hope Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Hope Bancorp from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Brean Capital upgraded Hope Bancorp from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hope Bancorp currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.25.

Hope Bancorp Trading Up 0.1%

The firm's 50 day moving average price is $11.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.20. The stock has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.65 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Hope Bancorp (NASDAQ:HOPE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.01. Hope Bancorp had a net margin of 5.81% and a return on equity of 5.09%. The company had revenue of $145.76 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $142.90 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.20 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hope Bancorp, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Hope Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Hope Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 121.74%.

Insider Activity at Hope Bancorp

In other news, Director Daisy Y. Ha sold 31,020 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.48, for a total value of $387,129.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 5.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hope Bancorp

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. HoldCo Asset Management LP bought a new position in Hope Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,838,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hope Bancorp by 366.8% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,340,635 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $14,439,000 after acquiring an additional 1,053,434 shares during the period. UBS Group AG grew its stake in shares of Hope Bancorp by 73.5% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,972,716 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $21,621,000 after acquiring an additional 835,814 shares during the period. Rhino Investment Partners Inc raised its holdings in shares of Hope Bancorp by 29.8% during the third quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc now owns 1,896,501 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,425,000 after purchasing an additional 435,165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hope Bancorp by 44.6% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,310,967 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $14,368,000 after purchasing an additional 404,505 shares during the last quarter. 84.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Hope Bancorp

Hope Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Hope Bank, a California-chartered financial institution serving small and middle-market businesses, professionals and affluent individuals. The company's principal activities include accepting a variety of deposit products—such as checking accounts, savings and money market accounts, and time deposits—and extending commercial credit facilities. With a focus on community banking, Hope Bancorp tailors its offerings to meet the needs of clients in diverse industries, including real estate, professional services and import/export trade.

In its lending business, Hope Bancorp provides commercial real estate loans, construction financing, working capital lines of credit and equipment financing.

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