Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for Hope Bancorp (NASDAQ:HOPE) Stock Price

Hope Bancorp (NASDAQ:HOPE) had its price objective lifted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $12.00 to $13.00 in a research report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a market perform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

HOPE has been the topic of several other research reports. DA Davidson set a $14.50 price objective on Hope Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hope Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hope Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.17.

Hope Bancorp Trading Down 3.3%

Shares of Hope Bancorp stock opened at $11.76 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $11.26 and its 200 day moving average is $10.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a PE ratio of 30.15 and a beta of 0.86. Hope Bancorp has a 1 year low of $8.82 and a 1 year high of $12.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Hope Bancorp (NASDAQ:HOPE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.01. The firm 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.20 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Hope Bancorp will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hope Bancorp Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Hope Bancorp

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hope Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Hope Bancorp by 91.5% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 32,828 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $344,000 after acquiring an additional 15,687 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Hope Bancorp by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 68,936 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $722,000 after purchasing an additional 3,005 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hope Bancorp by 147.1% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 492,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,153,000 after purchasing an additional 292,994 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in shares of Hope Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at $297,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of Hope Bancorp by 676.8% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 227,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,378,000 after buying an additional 197,877 shares during the period. 84.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hope Bancorp News Roundup

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.

Hope Bancorp Company Profile

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.