Q3 EPS Forecast for Eastern Bankshares Lowered by Analyst

Eastern Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBC) – Equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for Eastern Bankshares in a research note issued on Sunday, April 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst D. Delmonte now anticipates that the company will earn $0.49 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.50. The consensus estimate for Eastern Bankshares’ current full-year earnings is $1.91 per share. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods also issued estimates for Eastern Bankshares’ Q4 2026 earnings at $0.51 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.86 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.50 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.52 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.55 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.56 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.13 EPS.

EBC has been the subject of several other research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Eastern Bankshares from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Eastern Bankshares in a research report on Friday, March 27th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Eastern Bankshares from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Hovde Group assumed coverage on shares of Eastern Bankshares in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $22.50 target price for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Eastern Bankshares in a research report on Monday, March 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $23.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.70.

Eastern Bankshares Price Performance

EBC opened at $20.23 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.37 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $19.84 and a 200 day moving average of $19.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. Eastern Bankshares has a fifty-two week low of $14.10 and a fifty-two week high of $22.58.

Eastern Bankshares (NASDAQ:EBC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $295.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $308.68 million. Eastern Bankshares had a net margin of 26.28% and a return on equity of 8.60%.

Eastern Bankshares Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This is a boost from Eastern Bankshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Eastern Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.21%.

Insider Transactions at Eastern Bankshares

In other Eastern Bankshares news, CAO David Andrew Ahlquist sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.65, for a total transaction of $216,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,518 shares in the company, valued at $206,064.70. This trade represents a 51.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO R David Rosato bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $19.17 per share, with a total value of $95,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 45,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $862,650. This trade represents a 12.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eastern Bankshares

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Eastern Bankshares by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 7,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,000 after buying an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Eastern Bankshares by 36.4% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 584 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Eastern Bankshares by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 27,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $513,000 after buying an additional 584 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Eastern Bankshares by 0.4% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 179,379 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,739,000 after buying an additional 660 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eastern Bankshares by 6.0% in the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 13,102 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,000 after buying an additional 740 shares in the last quarter. 71.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Eastern Bankshares

Eastern Bankshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Eastern Bank, one of the oldest and largest mutual banks in the United States. Founded in 1818 as Salem Savings Bank and later rebranded as Eastern Bank in 1989, the company preserved its mutual ownership structure for more than two centuries. In March 2020, it completed an initial public offering and began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker EBC, while continuing to emphasize its community-focused heritage.

Through its primary subsidiary, Eastern Bank, the company delivers a broad range of commercial and consumer banking products.