Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Monday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of 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. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Community West Bancshares from $26.00 to $24.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday.

Community West Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ CWBC opened at $19.39 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $367.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.38 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Community West Bancshares has a 1-year low of $15.50 and a 1-year high of $24.47. The company has a 50 day moving average of $20.09 and a 200-day moving average of $19.75.

Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.07). Community West Bancshares had a net margin of 4.53% and a return on equity of 8.14%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Community West Bancshares will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Community West Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Community West Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 72.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Community West Bancshares

In related news, Director Steven D. Mcdonald sold 9,155 shares of Community West Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.51, for a total transaction of $196,924.05. Following the transaction, the director now owns 317,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,827,080.41. This trade represents a 2.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert Bartlein bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $18.75 per share, with a total value of $37,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 433,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,135,175. This represents a 0.46 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 2,432 shares of company stock valued at $45,616. 11.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Community West Bancshares

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CWBC. Systematic Financial Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Community West Bancshares in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,842,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Community West Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth $847,000. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Community West Bancshares by 228.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 22,057 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 15,343 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Community West Bancshares by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 251,944 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,852,000 after purchasing an additional 28,695 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 3,886 shares in the last quarter. 33.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Community West Bancshares Company Profile

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.