Hope Bancorp (NASDAQ:HOPE) Given Buy Rating at DA Davidson

DA Davidson restated their buy rating on shares of Hope Bancorp (NASDAQ:HOPE) in a research note published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. DA Davidson currently has a $14.50 price target on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also commented on HOPE. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hope Bancorp in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Hope Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Hope Bancorp from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hope Bancorp presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.17.

Hope Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ HOPE opened at $11.76 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a PE ratio of 30.15 and a beta of 0.86. Hope Bancorp has a 52 week low of $8.82 and a 52 week high of $12.35. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.87.

Hope Bancorp (NASDAQ:HOPE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $145.76 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $142.90 million. Hope Bancorp had a net margin of 5.81% and a return on equity of 5.09%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.20 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Hope Bancorp will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Hope Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 6th. Hope Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 143.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hope Bancorp

In other news, Director David P. Malone sold 20,820 shares of Hope Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.50, for a total transaction of $239,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 66,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $766,567. This trade represents a 23.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 26,787 shares of company stock valued at $303,917. Company insiders own 5.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hope Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CKW Financial Group purchased a new position in Hope Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hope Bancorp by 294.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,428 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 2,558 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Hope Bancorp by 61.0% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,968 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,503 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Hope Bancorp by 157.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,026 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 3,071 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Hope Bancorp by 29.3% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,345 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,211 shares in the last quarter. 84.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Hope Bancorp

Here are the key news stories impacting Hope Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus: EPS $0.27 vs. $0.26 expected and revenue $145.8M vs. $142.9M, with revenue +23.6% YoY — a clear operational beat that supports near-term earnings momentum. Hope Bancorp Reports Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Net income rose ~42% YoY and management set a 2026 revenue-growth target of 15–20% while expanding in Hawaii — signals of continued top-line momentum. Hope Bancorp reports strong fourth quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend: Board declared $0.14 quarterly payout (annualized yield ~4.6%), which supports income-oriented holders and can underpin the share base.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness from DA Davidson: buy rating reaffirmed with a $14.50 price target (~mid-teens upside vs. current levels), which can attract value-seeking buyers. DA Davidson rating note
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target from $12 to $13 but kept a “market perform” rating — a modestly constructive move but not a full endorsement. KBW price-target note
• Neutral Sentiment: Company provided earnings slides and an earnings-call transcript/presentation for more detail — useful for diligence but not an immediate catalyst. Earnings presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and profitability metrics may limit upside: trailing P/E is ~30, return on equity ~4.7% and net margin ~4.9%, while liquidity ratios (current and quick ~0.94) are below 1. Those figures make investors cautious about long-term return prospects despite recent revenue growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst tone (buy from DA Davidson vs. market-perform from KBW) plus high expectations may have left the beat largely priced in — helping explain why shares are trading lower on the release day.

About Hope Bancorp

Hope Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Hope Bank, a California-chartered financial institution serving small and middle-market businesses, professionals and affluent individuals. The company’s principal activities include accepting a variety of deposit products—such as checking accounts, savings and money market accounts, and time deposits—and extending commercial credit facilities. With a focus on community banking, Hope Bancorp tailors its offerings to meet the needs of clients in diverse industries, including real estate, professional services and import/export trade.

In its lending business, Hope Bancorp provides commercial real estate loans, construction financing, working capital lines of credit and equipment financing.