East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) EVP Gary Teo Sells 7,000 Shares of Stock

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) EVP Gary Teo sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.59, for a total value of $858,130.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,842.68. This represents a 57.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

East West Bancorp Trading Up 3.4%

East West Bancorp stock opened at $122.50 on Friday. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a one year low of $68.27 and a one year high of $123.22. The business’s fifty day moving average is $114.27 and its 200 day moving average is $107.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.85 billion, a PE ratio of 12.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.92.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $754.92 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $745.04 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 28.36% and a return on equity of 15.72%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.10 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.85 EPS for the current year.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 2nd will be issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. This is an increase from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EWBC has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group set a $125.00 target price on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their target price on East West Bancorp from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Stephens upped their price target on East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on East West Bancorp from $141.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of East West Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.14.

Key East West Bancorp News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.80 (from $0.60), payable Feb. 17; annualized $3.20 and ~2.6–2.7% yield — a direct return to shareholders and signal of confidence in cash generation.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat expectations: $2.52 EPS vs. $2.48 expected and revenue of $754.9M vs. $745M consensus — improves near-term earnings credibility and supports valuation multiples.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive: multiple buy/overweight ratings and price-target increases (consensus target ~ $128) — supports upside narrative and may attract momentum buyers.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership is high (~89.5%) and recent small fund flows show mixed adds and new positions — indicates largely stable long-term holder base but limited incremental catalyst from new institutional buying.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest data appears effectively zero/immaterial in the latest snapshot — low short activity reduces risk of squeeze-driven volatility but also limits short-covering as a price tailwind.
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling this week: CEO Dominic Ng sold 50,000 shares (~$5.9M at ~$117.82) and other insiders (EVP Gary Teo, Director Jack Liu, Director Molly Campbell) also reduced holdings — large insider sales can be read by the market as liquidity-taking and may weigh on sentiment if not explained (e.g., diversification, tax planning). CEO Form 4 EVP Form 4 Director Form 4 Director Form 4

Hedge Funds Weigh In On East West Bancorp

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the second quarter worth about $274,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 5.8% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,722 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $275,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new position in East West Bancorp during the second quarter valued at approximately $272,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its holdings in East West Bancorp by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 28,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,858,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.