East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Position Reduced by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Boston Trust Walden Corp lowered its stake in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) by 14.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 592,093 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 98,631 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned approximately 0.43% of East West Bancorp worth $43,359,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of EWBC. Capital Research Global Investors purchased a new position in shares of East West Bancorp during the 1st quarter valued at $338,142,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $115,369,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new position in shares of East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $67,692,000. Boston Partners grew its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 48.5% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,713,987 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $195,279,000 after acquiring an additional 886,841 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 112.5% during the 1st quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,441,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $114,013,000 after acquiring an additional 762,958 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Rudolph Estrada sold 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.77, for a total transaction of $166,411.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 18,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,621,111.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Rudolph Estrada sold 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.77, for a total value of $166,411.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 18,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,621,111.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa L. Kim sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.68, for a total transaction of $472,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,891 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,486,343.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,346 shares of company stock valued at $1,531,240. Insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of EWBC traded up $0.79 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $80.94. 540,668 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,005,089. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $76.65 and its 200 day moving average is $75.15. The stock has a market cap of $11.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.59 and a 1-year high of $89.75.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $638.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $631.61 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 25.40% and a return on equity of 16.64%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

East West Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were given a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EWBC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $106.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of East West Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.53.

About East West Bancorp

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.