Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC) Short Interest Update

Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC) was the target of a large decrease in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 328,000 shares, a decrease of 7.5% from the August 31st total of 354,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 66,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.9 days.

Community West Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CWBC traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $19.01. 26,330 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 50,943. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.33. Community West Bancshares has a 1 year low of $13.55 and a 1 year high of $24.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $358.72 million, a P/E ratio of 10.07 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Community West Bancshares (NASDAQ:CWBC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.42. Community West Bancshares had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 7.51%. The company had revenue of $30.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.14 million. Analysts anticipate that Community West Bancshares will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Community West Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. Community West Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.40%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Patrick A. Luis sold 1,650 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.37, for a total value of $31,960.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 27,586 shares in the company, valued at approximately $534,340.82. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 11.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bfsg LLC purchased a new position in shares of Community West Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Community West Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $106,000. Bridgewealth Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Community West Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Community West Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $267,000. Finally, Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Community West Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $268,000. 33.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Community West Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Community West Bancshares from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.33.

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.