Versor Investments LP Makes New Investment in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 5,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $527,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in East West Bancorp by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 10,171 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $974,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 108.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 54,851 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,282,000 after purchasing an additional 28,549 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the third quarter worth $4,157,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in East West Bancorp by 830,133.3% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 24,907 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 24,904 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in East West Bancorp by 159.1% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 29,587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,448,000 after purchasing an additional 18,166 shares in the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

NASDAQ EWBC opened at $94.43 on Friday. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 52-week low of $68.78 and a 52-week high of $113.95. The stock has a market cap of $13.09 billion, a PE ratio of 11.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $98.29 and a 200-day moving average of $94.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.91.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This is a boost from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. East West Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 28.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $100.00 to $97.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com cut East West Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on East West Bancorp from $96.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $112.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, East West Bancorp has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $110.38.

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.