Zacks Research Has Negative Estimate for EWBC Q2 Earnings

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) – Analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q2 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for East West Bancorp in a research report issued on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the financial services provider will earn $2.57 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.61. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for East West Bancorp’s current full-year earnings is $8.85 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for East West Bancorp’s Q3 2027 earnings at $2.70 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $10.58 EPS.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.04. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 15.72% and a net margin of 28.36%.The company had revenue of $754.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $745.04 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.10 EPS.

EWBC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial set a $121.00 price objective on East West Bancorp in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Stephens lifted their target price on East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $133.00 price target for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on East West Bancorp from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.14.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

EWBC opened at $117.83 on Monday. East West Bancorp has a 1 year low of $68.27 and a 1 year high of $123.82. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $115.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.21 billion, a PE ratio of 12.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On East West Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its holdings in East West Bancorp by 127.6% in the second quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in East West Bancorp by 82.6% during the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Gary Teo sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.59, for a total transaction of $858,130.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $643,842.68. The trade was a 57.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.81, for a total transaction of $221,058.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 5,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $706,894.36. This trade represents a 23.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 120,585 shares of company stock valued at $14,016,504. Company insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. This is a positive change from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.61%.

East West Bancorp News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised multiple quarterly and annual EPS forecasts for EWBC — notable bumps include Q1 2026 2.39→2.43, Q2 2026 2.47→2.50, Q3 2026 2.55→2.58, Q4 2026 2.50→2.54, Q1 2027 2.53→2.57 and Q4 2027 2.68→2.75; Zacks also lifted FY2026 to 10.05 from 9.91 and published an FY2028 view at 11.73. The upward revisions imply stronger expected earnings momentum, which is likely being priced into the stock. Zacks estimate revisions
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the upgrades, Zacks keeps a “Hold” rating on EWBC — positive estimate revisions improve the outlook but the unchanged rating tempers expectations for a major re‑rating or buy recommendation. Zacks rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reports for mid‑February show anomalous/zero values and NaN increases (data likely erroneous or incomplete). This odd short‑interest print appears not to be exerting meaningful pressure on the share price today. Short interest data

East West Bancorp Company Profile

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.