Zacks Research Issues Positive Outlook for EWBC Earnings

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) – Analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for East West Bancorp in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $2.39 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.37. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. 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 Q2 2026 earnings at $2.47 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.55 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.50 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.91 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.53 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.61 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.81 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.68 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $10.64 EPS.

EWBC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $111.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Truist Financial set a $120.00 price target on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $133.00 price objective on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $126.38.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of EWBC stock opened at $115.50 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $111.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $106.76. The company has a market cap of $15.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. East West Bancorp has a twelve month low of $68.27 and a twelve month high of $119.73.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.27. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 15.55% and a net margin of 27.16%.The firm had revenue of $645.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $722.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.14 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On East West Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. US Bancorp DE raised its position in East West Bancorp by 880.7% in the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 21,625 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,184,000 after purchasing an additional 19,420 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 249.8% during the second quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 13,111 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,324,000 after buying an additional 9,363 shares during the last quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel purchased a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the second quarter worth about $2,029,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 90.4% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 311,233 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,428,000 after buying an additional 147,792 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in East West Bancorp by 2,084.8% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 53,221 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,665,000 after buying an additional 50,785 shares during the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Parker Shi sold 8,844 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.03, for a total value of $1,017,325.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 14,950 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,719,698.50. This trade represents a 37.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Irene H. Oh sold 7,453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.90, for a total transaction of $848,896.70. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 85,714 shares in the company, valued at $9,762,824.60. The trade was a 8.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 73,344 shares of company stock valued at $8,184,226. Corporate insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Company Profile

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.