East West Bancorp, Inc. $EWBC Stock Holdings Increased by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV boosted its position in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) by 2,035.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 83,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 79,561 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $8,911,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of EWBC. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in East West Bancorp by 35.4% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 5,674 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $604,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT raised its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 9,195 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,033,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 6,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $720,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 44.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 366 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $142.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Wednesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $139.08.

East West Bancorp News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: EWBC reported Q2 2026 earnings of $2.63 per share, ahead of estimates, while revenue rose to $791.1 million, also topping forecasts. The company also said total loans and deposits reached record highs, signaling continued balance-sheet growth. Article: East West Bancorp Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results, With Earnings Per Share Up 18% Year-Over-Year, Driven by Record Total Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted record total revenue, 18% year-over-year EPS growth, and a 16.0% return on common equity, reinforcing that profitability remains strong for East West Bancorp. Article: East West Bancorp Inc (EWBC) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenue and Strategic Growth
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share, underscoring capital returns to shareholders and confidence in cash generation. Article: EWBC Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates as NII & Fee Income Increase Y/Y
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain split: Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an Overweight rating with a $150 target, while Stephens raised its target to $135 but stayed at Equal Weight, and Morgan Stanley reiterated Hold with a $131 target. This suggests the market sees value, but not unanimous upside from current levels. Article: Analyst rating updates for East West Bancorp
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors may be taking profits after the stock’s strong move into the earnings release, especially with valuation concerns noted by at least one analyst despite the earnings beat. Article: East West Bancorp: Healthy Deposit and NII Trends Offset by Valuation

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Dominic Ng sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.49, for a total value of $3,704,700.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 707,930 shares in the company, valued at $87,422,275.70. This trade represents a 4.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Archana Deskus sold 1,800 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.55, for a total value of $225,990.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 13,231 shares in the company, valued at $1,661,152.05. The trade was a 11.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,311 shares of company stock valued at $6,784,711. 0.94% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

East West Bancorp Trading Down 1.3%

East West Bancorp stock opened at $131.60 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $127.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.65, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.94. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.67 and a 52-week high of $136.24.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.02. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 30.45% and a return on equity of 16.26%. The company had revenue of $791.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $784.47 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.24 earnings per share. East West Bancorp’s revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 10.56 earnings per share for the current year.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 3rd. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 31.97%.

East West Bancorp 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.