Zacks Research Issues Positive Forecast for EWBC Earnings

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for East West Bancorp in a report released on Tuesday, May 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings of $2.59 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.50. The consensus estimate for East West Bancorp’s current full-year earnings is $10.57 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for East West Bancorp’s Q3 2026 earnings at $2.61 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.63 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $10.40 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.65 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.63 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.64 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.66 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.86 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $11.79 EPS.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.11. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 29.59% and a return on equity of 16.00%. The firm had revenue of $773.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $767.80 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.08 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

EWBC has been the subject of several other reports. Stephens boosted their price target on East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $150.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $137.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on East West Bancorp from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on East West Bancorp from $139.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.36.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

EWBC opened at $120.91 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $113.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $16.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.08, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.97. East West Bancorp has a 12-month low of $88.26 and a 12-month high of $127.51.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 4th. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 31.97%.

Insider Transactions at East West Bancorp

In other East West Bancorp news, Director Archana Deskus sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.55, for a total value of $225,990.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 13,231 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,661,152.05. This represents a 11.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Dominic Ng sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.49, for a total value of $3,704,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 707,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,422,275.70. The trade was a 4.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of East West Bancorp

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in East West Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 115.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 344 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 44.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 366 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About East West Bancorp

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.