East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Shares Sold by Matthew 25 Management Corp

Matthew 25 Management Corp decreased its stake in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) by 15.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 122,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 22,500 shares during the period. East West Bancorp makes up 3.7% of Matthew 25 Management Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Matthew 25 Management Corp owned about 0.09% of East West Bancorp worth $11,731,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 38,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,687,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC grew its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 7,270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $602,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,583 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,949 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $161,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

EWBC stock opened at $93.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $13.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.77. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.78 and a 52 week high of $113.95.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is a boost from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $100.00 to $97.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of East West Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $96.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $110.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $133,275.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,557 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,521,643.21. This trade represents a 8.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.