UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Stock Price

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) had its price target raised by UBS Group from $125.00 to $138.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on EWBC. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on East West Bancorp from $116.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Truist Financial set a $121.00 price objective on East West Bancorp in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Stephens lifted their price objective on East West Bancorp from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $130.79.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of East West Bancorp stock opened at $122.09 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $111.81 and a 200 day moving average of $110.25. East West Bancorp has a 12 month low of $83.11 and a 12 month high of $124.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.57 EPS 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 company had revenue of $773.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $767.80 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.08 EPS. East West Bancorp’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that East West Bancorp will post 10.25 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, May 18th. Investors of record on Monday, May 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 4th. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.97%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,421 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.00, for a total value of $169,099.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 13,553 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dominic Ng sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.82, for a total transaction of $5,891,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 808,331 shares in the company, valued at $95,237,558.42. This represents a 5.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 60,221 shares of company stock valued at $7,139,287 over the last three months. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On East West Bancorp

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in East West Bancorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in East West Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in East West Bancorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in East West Bancorp by 115.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 344 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in East West Bancorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting East West Bancorp

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.