Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Forecast for EWBC Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has raised its Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for East West Bancorp to $2.22, up from the previous forecast of $2.17.
• Multiple analysts have increased their price targets for East West Bancorp, with Barclays setting a new target of $135.00, reflecting strong bullish sentiment.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.60, with an annualized yield of 2.4%, indicating a solid return for shareholders.

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for East West Bancorp in a report issued on Tuesday, August 12th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $2.22 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.17. The consensus estimate for East West Bancorp's current full-year earnings is $8.85 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for East West Bancorp's Q1 2027 earnings at $2.39 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.46 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $10.01 EPS.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Truist Financial boosted their price target on East West Bancorp from $102.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $100.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $114.15.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EWBC traded down $0.92 during trading on Thursday, hitting $101.96. 81,376 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,028,527. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. East West Bancorp has a 12-month low of $68.27 and a 12-month high of $113.95. The company has a market cap of $14.05 billion, a PE ratio of 11.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $101.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.70.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $705.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $702.04 million. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 15.09% and a net margin of 26.06%. The business's revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.07 earnings per share.

Institutional Trading of East West Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EWBC. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its stake in East West Bancorp by 1,971.4% during the first quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 290 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in East West Bancorp during the second quarter valued at $27,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in East West Bancorp during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in East West Bancorp during the first quarter valued at $29,000. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at East West Bancorp

In other news, CEO Dominic Ng sold 40,000 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.38, for a total transaction of $4,135,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 888,314 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $91,833,901.32. The trade was a 4.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 4th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 4th. East West Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.04%.

About East West Bancorp

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.

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