Zacks Research Has Positive Forecast for EWBC Q4 Earnings

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q4 2024 earnings estimates for East West Bancorp in a research report issued on Thursday, January 23rd. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $2.11 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.10. The consensus estimate for East West Bancorp’s current full-year earnings is $8.38 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for East West Bancorp’s Q1 2025 earnings at $2.05 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $2.13 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.20 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $8.65 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.28 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.29 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $2.41 EPS.

EWBC has been the topic of several other research reports. StockNews.com lowered East West Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $112.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on East West Bancorp from $96.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $110.23.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

East West Bancorp stock opened at $102.93 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $14.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $91.18. East West Bancorp has a 1-year low of $67.27 and a 1-year high of $113.95.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,500 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.65, for a total transaction of $147,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 10,639 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,049,537.35. The trade was a 12.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas Paul Krause sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.61, for a total value of $1,279,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,403 shares in the company, valued at $4,840,413.83. This trade represents a 20.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 23,969 shares of company stock worth $2,458,276. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On East West Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EWBC. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in East West Bancorp in the third quarter valued at $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in East West Bancorp by 362.8% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 361 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. Tobam increased its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 131.7% during the third quarter. Tobam now owns 482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at about $79,000. 89.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About East West Bancorp

East West Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for East West Bank that provides a range of personal and commercial banking services to businesses and individuals in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Consumer and Business Banking, Commercial Banking, and Other.