East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $120.50 and last traded at $120.6050, with a volume of 19936 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $118.46.

More 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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on EWBC shares. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $141.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Truist Financial set a $121.00 price target on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Zacks Research lowered East West Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Piper Sandler raised 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded East West Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.14.

East West Bancorp Trading Up 3.4%

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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.87, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.92.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current year.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,421 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director owned 13,553 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,612,807. This represents a 9.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gary Teo sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.59, for a total transaction of $858,130.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $643,842.68. This represents a 57.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 121,585 shares of company stock valued at $14,121,904 over the last 90 days. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EWBC. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of East West Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its position in East West Bancorp by 127.6% during the second quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 82.6% during the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.