East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) CEO Dominic Ng Sells 19,819 Shares

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) CEO Dominic Ng sold 19,819 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $1,783,710.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 968,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,148,260. This trade represents a 2.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Dominic Ng also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, March 7th, Dominic Ng sold 20,181 shares of East West Bancorp stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.01, for a total transaction of $1,816,491.81.
• On Friday, March 7th, Dominic Ng sold 20,181 shares of East West Bancorp stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.01, for a total transaction of $1,816,491.81.

East West Bancorp Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of East West Bancorp stock opened at $89.89 on Friday. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a twelve month low of $68.78 and a twelve month high of $113.95. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $96.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.88. 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 has a market capitalization of $12.44 billion, a PE ratio of 10.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.28.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This is a positive change from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. East West Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 28.81%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on EWBC. Stephens downgraded East West Bancorp from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group began coverage on East West Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised East West Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays dropped 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $96.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $111.31.

Institutional Trading of East West Bancorp

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in East West Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in East West Bancorp by 73.2% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 414 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in East West Bancorp by 119.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 563 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 83.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.