East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Research Coverage Started at Hovde Group

Hovde Group initiated coverage on shares of East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) in a research report released on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $153.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on EWBC. Truist Financial dropped their target price on East West Bancorp from $137.00 to $131.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $150.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.71.

East West Bancorp Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ:EWBC opened at $131.15 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.97 billion, a PE ratio of 12.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $128.41 and a 200-day moving average of $123.71. East West Bancorp has a 52 week low of $98.72 and a 52 week high of $137.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last announced 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $811.07 million. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 16.07% and a net margin of 30.75%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.65 EPS. Analysts predict that East West Bancorp will post 10.74 EPS for the current year.

East West Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 2nd will be given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 2nd. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. East West Bancorp’s payout ratio is 30.45%.

Insider Transactions at East West Bancorp

In other East West Bancorp news, CEO Dominic Ng sold 34,977 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 672,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $88,910,550.36. This represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Manuel Alvarez sold 810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.40, for a total transaction of $105,624.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,386,021.60. This trade represents a 7.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of East West Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 12,998 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,611,000 after acquiring an additional 786 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 0.9% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 265,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,355,000 after purchasing an additional 2,304 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the third quarter valued at $38,524,000. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the third quarter valued at $590,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 52.5% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,816 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 2,347 shares during the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

East West Bancorp News Summary

Investors following EWBC have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its estimates across several periods, including FY2026 EPS to $10.73, FY2027 to $11.32, and FY2028 to $12.14. It also increased estimates for multiple quarters through Q3 2028, suggesting improving expectations for earnings growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Hovde Group analysts picked up coverage of EWBC, but the available report details do not specify a rating or price target. East West Bancorp Stock Picked Up by Analysts at Hovde Group
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed its Q4 2027 EPS forecast slightly, to $2.89 from $2.90, a modest offset to its broader estimate increases.

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.