Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Forecast for EWBC Earnings

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their FY2024 earnings estimates for East West Bancorp in a report issued on Thursday, January 23rd. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings of $8.34 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $8.33. The consensus estimate for East West Bancorp's current full-year earnings is $8.38 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for East West Bancorp's Q3 2026 earnings at $2.34 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $9.32 EPS.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Truist Financial increased their price target on East West Bancorp from $93.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com lowered East West Bancorp from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday. Wedbush upped their target price on East West Bancorp from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on East West Bancorp from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $110.38.

East West Bancorp Trading Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ:EWBC traded up $0.95 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $103.88. 653,833 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 944,154. East West Bancorp has a 12-month low of $67.27 and a 12-month high of $113.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm's fifty day moving average is $101.30 and its 200-day moving average is $91.31.

Institutional Trading of East West Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in East West Bancorp by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 100,320 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,699,000 after acquiring an additional 15,475 shares in the last quarter. RBA Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in East West Bancorp by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. RBA Wealth Management LLC now owns 56,472 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,408,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. JB Capital LLC increased its stake in East West Bancorp by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. JB Capital LLC now owns 55,064 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,273,000 after buying an additional 1,542 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 2,409 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Institute for Wealth Management LLC. bought a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $278,000. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Vice Chairman Douglas Paul Krause sold 12,000 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.61, for a total transaction of $1,279,320.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,403 shares in the company, valued at $4,840,413.83. This trade represents a 20.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Irene H. Oh sold 10,000 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.50, for a total value of $985,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 117,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,543,510.50. The trade was a 7.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 23,969 shares of company stock valued at $2,458,276 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.04% of the company's stock.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is a positive change from East West Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. East West Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is 27.78%.

East West Bancorp Company Profile

East West Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for East West Bank that provides a range of personal and commercial banking services to businesses and individuals in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Consumer and Business Banking, Commercial Banking, and Other.