Jack Liu Sells 1,421 Shares of East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Stock

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Director Jack Liu sold 1,421 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.00, for a total transaction of $169,099.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 13,553 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,612,807. The trade was a 9.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

NASDAQ EWBC opened at $122.50 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.87, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s 50 day moving average is $114.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.42. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 12-month low of $68.27 and a 12-month high of $123.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

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 business had revenue of $754.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $745.04 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.10 EPS. Research analysts expect that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.85 EPS for the current year.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of East West Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EWBC. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at about $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 valued at approximately $31,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 82.6% during the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EWBC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $111.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research cut East West Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. UBS Group set a $125.00 price objective on East West Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday. Stephens lifted their price objective on East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on East West Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $133.00 target price on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.14.

Key Headlines Impacting East West Bancorp

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

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.