JB Capital LLC Has $5.27 Million Stake in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

JB Capital LLC raised its position in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 55,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,542 shares during the period. JB Capital LLC’s holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $5,273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of East West Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 362.8% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 361 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the last quarter. Tobam raised its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 131.7% in the third quarter. Tobam now owns 482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth about $79,000. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on EWBC shares. Compass Point increased their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stephens cut shares of East West Bancorp from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $96.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $110.38.

Insider Activity

In other news, Vice Chairman Douglas Paul Krause sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.61, for a total value of $1,279,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,403 shares in the company, valued at $4,840,413.83. This represents a 20.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rudolph Estrada sold 469 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.04, for a total transaction of $45,980.76. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,750 shares in the company, valued at $1,740,210. The trade was a 2.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,469 shares of company stock worth $1,534,339 over the last quarter. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EWBC opened at $102.97 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $101.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.30. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.27 and a 1-year high of $113.95.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This is a boost from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.41%.

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.