East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Shares Sold by Trillium Asset Management LLC

Trillium Asset Management LLC decreased its position in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 252,266 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 13,999 shares during the quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $24,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EWBC. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 119.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 563 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position 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 valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of East West Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Stock Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ EWBC opened at $88.19 on Wednesday. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.78 and a 52 week high of $113.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $96.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.95. The firm has a market cap of $12.21 billion, a PE ratio of 10.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.28.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This is a positive change from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. East West Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 28.81%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EWBC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded East West Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on East West Bancorp from $96.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays decreased their target price on East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $111.31.

Insider Transactions at East West Bancorp

In related news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.50, for a total transaction of $75,762.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 15,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,654,444. This trade represents a 4.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dominic Ng sold 20,181 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.01, for a total value of $1,816,491.81. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 988,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $88,941,851.33. The trade was a 2.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 42,362 shares of company stock worth $3,842,022 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

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.