East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $136.35 and last traded at $135.4840, with a volume of 25432 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $135.05.

More East West Bancorp News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple EPS estimates for EWBC. The firm increased its FY2026 forecast to $10.57 from $10.40, FY2027 to $11.14 from $10.58, and FY2028 to $11.93 from $11.79. Estimates for several upcoming quarters were also lifted, suggesting expectations for stronger profitability and supporting investor sentiment.
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained a Buy rating on East West Bancorp. The continued endorsement from a major brokerage reinforces the constructive Wall Street view. Analysts overall rate EWBC a “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $141.77. Wells Fargo remains a Buy on East West Bancorp
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating results remain supportive. East West Bancorp’s latest quarter produced $2.63 in EPS, narrowly above the $2.61 consensus, while revenue rose 12.5% year over year to $789.98 million. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.80, equivalent to a $3.20 annualized payout and an approximately 2.4% yield.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest was zero shares. The lack of reported short positions indicates limited measurable short-selling pressure, but it offers little additional insight into near-term trading direction.
• Negative Sentiment: Director Jack Liu sold 1,000 shares for approximately $135,020 at an average price of $135.02, reducing his position by 6.8%. He still owns 13,709 shares, making the transaction relatively small; nevertheless, insider selling can modestly weigh on sentiment. East West Bancorp director share sale

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised East West Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Barclays boosted their price objective on East West Bancorp from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on East West Bancorp from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their target price on East West Bancorp from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.77.

East West Bancorp Stock Up 0.5%

The company has a market capitalization of $18.59 billion, a PE ratio of 13.07, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s 50 day moving average is $130.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $789.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $784.47 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 30.45% and a return on equity of 16.07%. East West Bancorp’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.24 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 10.59 earnings per share for the current year.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 3rd. East West Bancorp’s payout ratio is 30.77%.

Insider Transactions at East West Bancorp

In related news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.02, for a total value of $135,020.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 13,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,850,989.18. The trade was a 6.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas Paul Krause sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.37, for a total value of $1,323,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 36,974 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,894,248.38. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 33,511 shares of company stock valued at $4,312,741. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of East West Bancorp

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of East West Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,744,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in East West Bancorp by 84,090.3% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 5,311,566 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $596,967,000 after purchasing an additional 5,305,257 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in East West Bancorp by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,981,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $559,822,000 after purchasing an additional 106,998 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in East West Bancorp by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,620,772 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $519,329,000 after purchasing an additional 306,916 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners raised its stake in East West Bancorp by 19.6% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,874,737 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $412,464,000 after purchasing an additional 633,649 shares in the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.