East West Bancorp, Inc. (EWBC) - What Are Researchers Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is favorable: Fifteen firms rate East West Bancorp “Moderate Buy,” including 11 buys and four holds, with an average 12-month price target of $144.38.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: The bank reported $2.76 in EPS versus a $2.72 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 5.8% year over year to $822.72 million.
• Shareholders will receive a quarterly dividend of $0.80, equivalent to $3.20 annually and a 2.4% yield; institutional investors own 89.53% of the stock, while insiders sold shares during the latest quarter.

Shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $144.38.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on EWBC shares. DA Davidson upped their target price on East West Bancorp from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Stephens raised their price target 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. Citigroup raised their price target on East West Bancorp from $152.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on East West Bancorp from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on East West Bancorp from $137.00 to $131.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EWBC opened at $132.95 on Friday. East West Bancorp has a twelve month low of $98.08 and a twelve month high of $137.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $18.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $127.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $122.87.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 20th. The financial services provider reported $2.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.72 by $0.04. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 16.07% and a net margin of 30.75%. The firm had revenue of $822.72 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $811.07 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.65 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that East West Bancorp will post 10.73 earnings per share for the current year.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 2nd will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 2nd. East West Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.45%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Vice Chairman Douglas Krause sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.37, for a total transaction of $1,323,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 36,974 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,894,248.38. This represents a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.02, for a total transaction of $135,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 13,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,850,989.18. This trade represents a 6.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 11,810 shares of company stock valued at $1,564,344. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On East West Bancorp

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EWBC. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the second quarter worth $27,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of East West Bancorp during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Fiduciary Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of East West Bancorp during the second quarter valued at $35,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.53% of the company's stock.

About East West Bancorp

East West Bancorp, Inc is the parent company of East West Bank, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Pasadena, California. The bank serves businesses, professionals, consumers and institutions through a range of deposit, lending and financial services.

Its products and services include commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate financing, residential and consumer lending, checking and savings accounts, treasury management, international banking, wealth management and foreign-exchange services.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.