Key Points
- Insider purchase: Director James Lokey bought 500 shares at $23.29 on Jan. 28 for $11,645, increasing his holdings to 15,175 shares (a 3.41% rise in his stake).
- Dividend announced: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per share (ex-dividend Feb. 6, payable Feb. 20), equal to a $0.48 annualized payout and about a 2.0% yield.
- Earnings and analyst outlook: Community West Bancshares reported Q results with EPS $0.60 versus $0.57 expected and revenue roughly in line, while analysts hold an average "Buy" rating and a consensus price target of $24.33 (with some targets raised up to $29).
Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC - Get Free Report) Director James Lokey acquired 500 shares of Community West Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $23.29 per share, with a total value of $11,645.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 15,175 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $353,425.75. The trade was a 3.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.
Community West Bancshares Trading Up 1.0%
CWBC opened at $23.97 on Friday. Community West Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $15.57 and a fifty-two week high of $24.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $459.27 million, a PE ratio of 11.99 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The company's 50-day moving average is $23.05 and its 200 day moving average is $21.56.
Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $38.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.38 million. Community West Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.11% and a net margin of 19.45%. As a group, research analysts predict that Community West Bancshares will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Community West Bancshares Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 6th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Community West Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is 24.00%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Community West Bancshares
Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Community West Bancshares by 2.2% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 786,040 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $16,381,000 after buying an additional 17,244 shares during the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP grew its position in shares of Community West Bancshares by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 308,375 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,016,000 after acquiring an additional 5,940 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Community West Bancshares by 418.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 63,054 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,314,000 after acquiring an additional 50,889 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Community West Bancshares by 192.6% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 55,451 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,082,000 after purchasing an additional 36,499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Community West Bancshares by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 49,747 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $971,000 after purchasing an additional 3,633 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 33.80% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research firms have issued reports on CWBC. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Community West Bancshares in a report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Community West Bancshares from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 31st. Zacks Research raised shares of Community West Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 31st. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Community West Bancshares from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Community West Bancshares presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.33.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on CWBC
Community West Bancshares Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Community West Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Community West Bank, headquartered in Goleta, California. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company offers a full suite of commercial and consumer banking services. Community West Bancshares focuses on providing personalized financial solutions to small and mid-sized businesses, professional practices, and individual customers in its service area.
The company's product portfolio includes a variety of deposit accounts—such as business checking, savings and money market accounts—along with online and mobile banking capabilities.
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