DA Davidson Issues Positive Forecast for East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Stock Price

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) had its price objective increased by DA Davidson from $135.00 to $140.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. DA Davidson currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on East West Bancorp from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on East West Bancorp from $141.00 to $128.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $133.00 price objective on shares of East West Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial set a $121.00 price objective on East West Bancorp in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on East West Bancorp from $150.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $130.79.

East West Bancorp Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of EWBC stock opened at $122.09 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $111.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.89. East West Bancorp has a twelve month low of $83.11 and a twelve month high of $124.84. The company has a market capitalization of $16.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.20, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.90.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.11. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 29.59%.The business had revenue of $773.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $767.80 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.08 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that East West Bancorp will post 10.25 EPS for the current year.

East West Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 4th will be given a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 4th. East West Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 31.97%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other East West Bancorp news, EVP Gary Teo sold 7,000 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.59, for a total value of $858,130.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $643,842.68. The trade was a 57.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,800 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.81, for a total value of $221,058.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 5,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $706,894.36. This represents a 23.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 60,221 shares of company stock valued at $7,139,287. Corporate insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of East West Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 5.3% during the first quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,081 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $542,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 8.6% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 21,874 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,335,000 after purchasing an additional 1,732 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN increased its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 8.5% during the first quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 2,103 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the first quarter valued at approximately $4,260,000. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 1.1% during the first quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 11,143 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,190,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

East West Bancorp News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — diluted EPS $2.57 vs. $2.46 consensus, revenue $773.8M, net income $358M, with record loans ($58.1B) and deposits ($68.9B); strong ROE and margin expansion underpin the rally. East West Bancorp Reports Net Income for First Quarter of 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target raises: Citigroup to $145 (buy), UBS to $138 (buy) and DA Davidson to $140 (buy) — these raise the street’s valuation outlook and likely supported buying today. Citigroup price target raise Benzinga coverage of analyst moves
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.80/share (annualized yield ~2.6%); ex-dividend date May 4, payable May 18 — supports income investors and signals confidence in cash flow.
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating with a $133 target — a supportive but smaller uplift compared with the larger raises. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials and call transcripts are available for deeper read-through (useful for modeling loan/deposit trends and expense drivers). Q1 results – earnings call presentation Q1 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and coverage note elevated operating expenses partially offsetting NII/fee income gains — if expenses remain elevated, margin pressure could constrain forward EPS expansion. Zacks: Q1 earnings top estimates; expenses rose

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.