Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC) Short Interest Down 14.5% in January

Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 178,200 shares, a drop of 14.5% from the December 31st total of 208,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 48,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on CWBC shares. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Community West Bancshares from $26.00 to $24.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com raised Community West Bancshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Community West Bancshares from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Steven D. Mcdonald sold 1,860 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.51, for a total value of $40,008.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 315,531 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,787,071.81. This represents a 0.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders purchased 432 shares of company stock worth $8,116 over the last three months. Company insiders own 11.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Community West Bancshares

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Community West Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its position in Community West Bancshares by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 23,890 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 1,598 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Community West Bancshares by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 21,387 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $414,000 after acquiring an additional 2,430 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Community West Bancshares by 5.4% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 76,458 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,473,000 after acquiring an additional 3,886 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Community West Bancshares in the third quarter valued at $132,000. 33.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Community West Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of Community West Bancshares stock traded down $0.07 on Friday, hitting $19.48. 13,350 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 41,295. Community West Bancshares has a 1-year low of $15.50 and a 1-year high of $24.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $369.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.43 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $20.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.75.

Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.07). Community West Bancshares had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 7.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Community West Bancshares will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Community West Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. Community West Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 92.31%.

About Community West Bancshares

Community West Bancshares operates as the bank holding company for Community West Bank, N.A. that provides various financial products and services in California. The company offers deposit products, such as checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, and fixed rate and fixed maturity certificates of deposits; and cash management products.