East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Price Target Raised to $135.00 at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) had its target price upped by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $131.00 to $135.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target indicates a potential upside of 17.09% from the stock’s current price.

EWBC has been the topic of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $133.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on East West Bancorp from $111.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded East West Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.54.

East West Bancorp Stock Down 0.2%

EWBC stock opened at $115.30 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.82. East West Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $68.27 and a fifty-two week high of $119.73. The stock has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a PE ratio of 12.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 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 (NASDAQ:EWBC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.04. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 27.16% and a return on equity of 15.55%. The business had revenue of $754.92 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $745.04 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.10 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that East West Bancorp will post 8.85 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,520 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.73, for a total value of $159,189.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 7,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $791,339.88. This trade represents a 16.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Dominic Ng sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.63, for a total value of $3,408,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 858,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $97,530,219.82. This represents a 3.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 73,344 shares of company stock valued at $8,184,226 in the last quarter. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On East West Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in East West Bancorp by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 5,058 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $568,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $216,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $1,530,000. Finally, Secure Asset Management LLC boosted its position in East West Bancorp by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 17,887 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,010,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the period. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

East West Bancorp News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting East West Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported beat and record full‑year results — East West posted record 2025 net income (~$1.3B) and strong Q4 results (quarterly EPS roughly in line with or slightly above consensus; revenue topped estimates). Management also raised the dividend 33% to $0.80 quarterly. East West Bancorp Reports Record Net Income for 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimate upgrades — Zacks Research has raised several near‑term and multi‑year EPS forecasts (FY2026/FY2027 upgraded), signaling improved earnings visibility that could support valuation over time. East West Bancorp Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks maintains a “Hold” — while Zacks has lifted estimates, it still carries a Hold rating, which may limit upside until guidance or broader sentiment changes. Compared to Estimates, East West Bancorp Q4 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and analyst previews available — full Q4 call transcript and previews (Benzinga/MSN) provide detail on loan growth, margins, credit trends and capital deployment that investors should review for guidance cues. EWBC Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings previews and analyst writeups summarize expectations and items to watch (loan mix, NIM, expense control). East West Bancorp Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation caution — commentary urging a reassessment after strong multi‑year gains highlights potential upside constraints if earnings momentum slows or if investors demand higher growth to justify current levels. Is It Time To Reassess East West Bancorp After Strong Multi Year Gains?

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.