East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.02 EPS

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBCGet Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The financial services provider reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by $0.02, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $791.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $784.47 million. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 16.26% and a net margin of 30.45%.East West Bancorp’s revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.24 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from East West Bancorp’s conference call:

  • East West Bancorp reported record second-quarter revenue, net interest income, and non-interest income, supported by record levels of loans and deposits.
  • End-of-period deposits rose 8% year over year and loans increased 7% year over year, with especially strong growth in demand deposits, residential mortgage, and C&I lending.
  • Management raised full-year guidance, increasing expected loan growth to 6%-8% and NII growth to 7%-9%, while also narrowing expense growth guidance to 8%-9%.
  • Asset quality remained broadly stable, though net charge-offs rose to 19 bps from 9 bps in the prior quarter and criticized loans/non-performing assets saw modest movement. The company reaffirmed its full-year charge-off guidance of 15-25 bps.
  • The bank reiterated that its capital position remains a key strength, with a 15.4% CET1 ratio and 10.4% tangible common equity, and it still has $117 million of buyback authorization remaining.

East West Bancorp Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:EWBC opened at $131.60 on Thursday. East West Bancorp has a 52-week low of $92.67 and a 52-week high of $136.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $127.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $119.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88.

East West Bancorp Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on EWBC shares. Stephens lifted their price objective on East West Bancorp from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays upped their target price on East West Bancorp from $142.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. UBS Group raised their price target on East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $139.08.

Read Our Latest Analysis on East West Bancorp

Insider Transactions at East West Bancorp

In other East West Bancorp news, insider Irene H. Oh sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.19, for a total value of $106,552.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 84,698 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,280,926.62. This represents a 0.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas Paul Krause sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total value of $1,235,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 46,974 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,801,289. This represents a 17.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 54,311 shares of company stock valued at $6,784,711. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of East West Bancorp

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in East West Bancorp by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,981,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $559,822,000 after acquiring an additional 106,998 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $519,329,000 after purchasing an additional 306,916 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $412,464,000 after purchasing an additional 633,649 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 3,713,679 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $423,619,000 after purchasing an additional 318,303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 23.6% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,051,360 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $207,146,000 after purchasing an additional 391,059 shares during the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting East West Bancorp

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East West Bancorp Company Profile

(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.

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Earnings History for East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC)

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