Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Stock

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) had its price target lifted by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $131.00 to $135.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 21.24% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial set a $120.00 price objective on East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered East West Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.62.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EWBC opened at $111.35 on Friday. East West Bancorp has a 12 month low of $68.27 and a 12 month high of $119.73. The company has a market cap of $15.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s 50 day moving average is $111.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.04. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 28.36% and a return on equity of 16.04%. The business had revenue of $754.92 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $745.04 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.10 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that East West Bancorp will post 8.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at East West Bancorp

In related news, Vice Chairman Douglas Paul Krause sold 10,000 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.04, for a total transaction of $1,000,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 45,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,551,820. This trade represents a 18.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.73, for a total transaction of $159,189.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 7,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $791,339.88. This trade represents a 16.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 73,344 shares of company stock valued at $8,184,226. Insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of East West Bancorp

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in East West Bancorp by 66.9% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 801 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in East West Bancorp in the second quarter worth $274,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the second quarter worth $1,976,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the second quarter worth $491,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 8.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $447,000 after buying an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

Key East West Bancorp News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus — EWBC reported $2.52 EPS (vs. $2.48 est.) and revenues of $754.9M, showing year‑over‑year growth and a beat on both headline metrics. East West Bancorp (EWBC) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Record full‑year results and bigger payout — East West reported record 2025 net income of $1.3B (diluted EPS $9.52) and increased the quarterly dividend 33% to $0.80/share, which supports income investors and signals confidence from management. Business Wire: East West Bancorp Reports Record Net Income for 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target uplift — Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target to $135 with an Outperform rating (roughly ~21% above the current level), indicating continued analyst bullishness on medium‑term upside. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks lifted forward EPS forecasts — Zacks updated multiple quarterly and FY2026/FY2027 EPS estimates higher, reflecting expectations for continued earnings growth (Zacks still carries a Hold rating). (See Zacks research notes for details.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and full disclosure available — Management commentary and slides from the Q4 call are available for investors to review guidance, asset quality and expense drivers. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst ratings mix — while some price targets were raised, major research houses (e.g., Zacks) maintain a Hold rating; investors should read analyst notes for valuation assumptions and multiples.
• Negative Sentiment: Higher operating costs trimmed investor enthusiasm — coverage notes that non‑interest expenses rose year‑over‑year, which weighed on the stock despite the beat and contributed to the intraday selloff. EWBC Stock Dips Despite Q4 Earnings Beat, Revenues & Costs Rise Y/Y

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.