Zacks Research Expects Lower Earnings for East West Bancorp

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research lowered their Q4 2027 earnings per share estimates for shares of East West Bancorp in a research report issued on Tuesday, November 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings of $2.89 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.90. The consensus estimate for East West Bancorp’s current full-year earnings is $10.74 per share.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The financial services provider reported $2.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.72 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $822.72 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $811.07 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 30.75% and a return on equity of 16.07%. The company’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.65 earnings per share.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays raised their price target on East West Bancorp from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Hovde Group began coverage on East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $153.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price objective on East West Bancorp from $152.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on East West Bancorp from $152.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.71.

East West Bancorp Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of EWBC stock opened at $130.68 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.48, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.99. East West Bancorp has a one year low of $98.72 and a one year high of $137.47. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $128.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 0.9% in the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 265,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,355,000 after buying an additional 2,304 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in East West Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,524,000. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $590,000. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in East West Bancorp by 52.5% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,816 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $845,000 after acquiring an additional 2,347 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake in East West Bancorp by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 128,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,952,000 after acquiring an additional 32,880 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at East West Bancorp

In other East West Bancorp news, CEO Dominic Ng sold 34,977 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.12, for a total value of $4,621,161.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 672,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $88,910,550.36. The trade was a 4.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Manuel Alvarez sold 810 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.40, for a total transaction of $105,624.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 10,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,386,021.60. This represents a 7.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

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

Recent East West Bancorp Headlines

Here are a few of the latest headlines about EWBC:

• Positive Sentiment: Hovde Group initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and a $153 price target, implying about 17% upside from the cited $130.68 share price. Hovde Group initiation
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its EPS estimates across several upcoming quarters and fiscal years, including forecasts of $10.73 for FY2026, $11.32 for FY2027 and $12.14 for FY2028. Higher profit expectations can support investor optimism. Zacks estimate changes
• Neutral Sentiment: A short-interest report lists 0 shares sold short and a 0.0-day short-interest ratio, so it offers no clear indication of bearish positioning. Short-interest report

About East West Bancorp

East West Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for East West Bank, a commercial bank headquartered in Pasadena, California. Founded in 1973, the bank initially served Chinese American communities in Southern California and has since expanded its services and geographic reach. East West Bank provides personal and business banking, commercial lending, trade finance, treasury management and other financial services. Its customers include individuals, small and midsize businesses, and larger companies, with a focus on supporting commerce between the United States and Asia.