East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Director Jack Liu Sells 1,000 Shares of Stock

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBCGet Free Report) Director Jack Liu sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.02, for a total transaction of $135,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 13,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,850,989.18. This trade represents a 6.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

East West Bancorp Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of EWBC stock opened at $135.05 on Thursday. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 12-month low of $92.67 and a 12-month high of $136.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $130.65 and a 200-day moving average of $121.05. The company has a market capitalization of $18.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.94.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBCGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $789.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $784.47 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 30.45% and a return on equity of 16.07%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.24 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 10.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

East West Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 3rd. East West Bancorp’s payout ratio is 30.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EWBC has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen increased their price objective on East West Bancorp from $137.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler upped their price target on East West Bancorp from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. 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 note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of East West Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.77.

Read Our Latest Analysis on East West Bancorp

More East West Bancorp News

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

  • Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $10.57 from $10.40, bringing the forecast closer to the $10.59 consensus. The firm also increased estimates across several quarters and lifted its FY2027 forecast to $11.14 from $10.58 and FY2028 forecast to $11.93 from $11.79. The broad upward revision suggests stronger expected profitability and is likely supporting investor sentiment.
  • Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained a Buy rating on EWBC. Continued support from a major research firm reinforces the positive analyst outlook and may help sustain buying interest. Wells Fargo Remains a Buy on East West Bancorp
  • Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest was listed at zero shares, unchanged from the prior period. Because the data shows a zero short-interest ratio, it provides little actionable information about near-term trading pressure.
  • Negative Sentiment: Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,000 EWBC shares at an average price of $135.02 for approximately $135,020. He retained 13,709 shares, so the transaction was relatively small, but insider selling can weigh modestly on sentiment. East West Bancorp insider transaction filing

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EWBC. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,744,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in East West Bancorp by 84,090.3% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 5,311,566 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $596,967,000 after purchasing an additional 5,305,257 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in East West Bancorp by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,981,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $559,822,000 after purchasing an additional 106,998 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in East West Bancorp by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,620,772 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $519,329,000 after purchasing an additional 306,916 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners increased its position in East West Bancorp by 19.6% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,874,737 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $412,464,000 after buying an additional 633,649 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

About East West Bancorp

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Insider Buying and Selling by Quarter for East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC)

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