East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) EVP Sells $858,130.00 in Stock

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) EVP Gary Teo sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.59, for a total transaction of $858,130.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,252 shares in the company, valued at $643,842.68. This trade represents a 57.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

East West Bancorp Stock Up 3.4%

EWBC opened at $122.50 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $114.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.42. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $68.27 and a fifty-two week high of $123.22. 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 (NASDAQ:EWBC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.04. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 28.36% and a return on equity of 15.72%. The business had revenue of $754.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $745.04 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current year.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be given a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is a boost 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 (DPR) is presently 33.61%.

Key Headlines Impacting East West Bancorp

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on EWBC. Truist Financial set a $121.00 price target on shares of East West Bancorp in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. TD Cowen decreased 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 report on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research cut shares of East West Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $111.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on East West Bancorp from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Ten equities 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 a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.14.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On East West Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new stake in East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $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 buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in East West Bancorp by 82.6% during the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. 89.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.