Key Points
- Director Jack Liu sold 1,000 East West Bancorp shares at an average price of $135.02, receiving approximately $135,020. He retained 13,709 shares after the transaction.
- East West Bancorp reported quarterly earnings of $2.63 per share, exceeding estimates by $0.02, while revenue rose 12.5% year over year to $789.98 million. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share, representing a 2.4% annualized yield.
- Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with the stock carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $141.77. Institutional investors own approximately 89.53% of the company.
East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) Director Jack Liu sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.02, for a total value of $135,020.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 13,709 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,850,989.18. This represents a 6.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
East West Bancorp Trading Up 1.5%
EWBC stock opened at $135.05 on Thursday. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a one year low of $92.67 and a one year high of $136.24. The stock has a market cap of $18.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $130.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88.
East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $789.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $784.47 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 30.45% and a return on equity of 16.07%. The company's revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.24 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 10.59 EPS for the current year.
East West Bancorp Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd will be paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. East West Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is 30.77%.
East West Bancorp News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting East West Bancorp this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $10.57 from $10.40, bringing the forecast closer to the $10.59 consensus. The firm also increased estimates across several quarters and lifted its FY2027 forecast to $11.14 from $10.58 and FY2028 forecast to $11.93 from $11.79. The broad upward revision suggests stronger expected profitability and is likely supporting investor sentiment.
- Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained a Buy rating on EWBC. Continued support from a major research firm reinforces the positive analyst outlook and may help sustain buying interest. Wells Fargo Remains a Buy on East West Bancorp
- Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest was listed at zero shares, unchanged from the prior period. Because the data shows a zero short-interest ratio, it provides little actionable information about near-term trading pressure.
- Negative Sentiment: Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,000 EWBC shares at an average price of $135.02 for approximately $135,020. He retained 13,709 shares, so the transaction was relatively small, but insider selling can weigh modestly on sentiment. East West Bancorp insider transaction filing
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
EWBC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens boosted their price objective on East West Bancorp from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a research note on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group increased their target price on East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on East West Bancorp from $137.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.77.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on EWBC
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in East West Bancorp by 66.9% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 801 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $274,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $290,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 34.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,223 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $325,000 after acquiring an additional 823 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 118.7% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 35,335 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,568,000 after acquiring an additional 19,178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.53% of the company's stock.
East West Bancorp Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
East West Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company and the parent of East West Bank, one of the largest independent banks headquartered in Southern California. As a full-service commercial bank, it provides a broad range of financial products and services to business and individual customers, including commercial and residential real estate lending, working capital lines of credit, trade finance, and deposit and treasury management services. The company caters to both large and middle-market businesses, leveraging its expertise to serve clients engaged in cross-border trade and investment between the United States and Greater China.
Founded in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, East West Bank has grown steadily through organic expansion and strategic branch openings.
Further Reading
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