** Regional lender Cathay General Bancorp's CATY.O shares jump 7.4% to $41.45
** CATY late Monday reported Q1 profit above Wall Street expectations for the second straight quarter
** Bank's profit has twice missed Street expectations in the last four quarters, per LSEG
** Piper Sandler says Q1 results were largely driven by stronger interest income and lower expenses
** Expects share outperformance on the strong results given interest margin expansion, but says some of the upside may be limited by the bank's slower loan growth outlook
** Two of 5 brokerages rate the stock "strong buy", 2 "hold" and 1 "sell"; median PT $51 - data compiled by LSEG
** As of last close, CATY stock down 18.9% YTD
(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru)
((ArasuKannagi.Basil@thomsonreuters.com;))
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