Zacks Research Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for EWBC

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of East West Bancorp in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings of $2.39 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.37. 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 Q2 2026 earnings at $2.47 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.55 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.50 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.91 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.53 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.61 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.81 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.68 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $10.64 EPS.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.45 by $0.07. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 15.55% and a net margin of 27.16%.The firm had revenue of $754.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $745.04 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share.

EWBC has been the topic of several other research reports. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $133.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays raised 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on East West Bancorp from $111.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, East West Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.38.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of EWBC stock opened at $115.30 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $111.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $106.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a PE ratio of 12.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.88. East West Bancorp has a 52-week low of $68.27 and a 52-week high of $119.73.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EWBC. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 38.5% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 10,683,377 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,078,807,000 after purchasing an additional 2,968,716 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in East West Bancorp by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,819,273 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $486,650,000 after buying an additional 86,171 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of East West Bancorp by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,313,856 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $459,210,000 after acquiring an additional 19,539 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,874,737 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $412,464,000 after acquiring an additional 633,649 shares during the period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 3,395,376 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $361,879,000 after acquiring an additional 334,429 shares during the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Parker Shi sold 8,844 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.03, for a total transaction of $1,017,325.32. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 14,950 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,719,698.50. The trade was a 37.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.73, for a total transaction of $159,189.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 7,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $791,339.88. This represents a 16.75% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 73,344 shares of company stock worth $8,184,226 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting East West Bancorp

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results topped estimates — EPS of $2.52 (beat) and revenue of $754.9M (beat); the quarter showed strong margins and ROE, signaling healthy profitability. East West Bancorp (EWBC) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Record full‑year results and big dividend lift — FY2025 net income $1.3B, diluted EPS $9.52, and the board increased the dividend by 33%, a direct return of capital boost for shareholders. East West Bancorp Reports Record Net Income for 2025 … Increases Dividend 33%
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised forward earnings estimates — Zacks and other outlets lifted quarterly and FY2026/2027 EPS forecasts after the results, indicating upward revisions to near‑term profitability expectations (Zacks still rates the stock “Hold”).
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings package published — transcript, slide deck and press release are available for deeper detail on drivers (credit quality, margins, loan growth). Useful for investors digging into drivers behind the beats. East West Bancorp, Inc. (EWBC) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Stock traded down on the day despite results — heavy volume vs. average suggests profit‑taking after a multiyear run and possible re‑rating concerns; some investors may view the beat as already priced in. Is It Time To Reassess East West Bancorp (EWBC) After Strong Multi Year Gains?

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.