Keeler Thomas Management LLC Sells 1,700 Shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

Keeler Thomas Management LLC reduced its position in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,700 shares during the quarter. Keeler Thomas Management LLC’s holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $1,799,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EWBC. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 0.3% in the fourth 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 period. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in East West Bancorp by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Lindenwold Advisors INC increased its holdings in 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 valued at $602,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position 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 valued at $343,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,949 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $161,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. 89.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on EWBC shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Compass Point boosted their price target on East West Bancorp from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com lowered East West Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group assumed coverage on East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stephens cut shares of East West Bancorp from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, East West Bancorp presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $110.38.

Insider Transactions at East West Bancorp

In other East West Bancorp news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $133,275.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,557 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,521,643.21. This represents a 8.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Trading Down 0.5 %

EWBC opened at $93.42 on Tuesday. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a twelve month low of $68.78 and a twelve month high of $113.95. The company has a fifty day moving average of $98.51 and a 200-day moving average of $93.99. The stock has a market cap of $12.95 billion, a PE ratio of 11.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is an increase from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.81%.

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.