Q4 2024 EPS Estimates for East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) Reduced by Analyst

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) – Investment analysts at Wedbush decreased their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for East West Bancorp in a report issued on Wednesday, March 27th. Wedbush analyst D. Chiaverini now anticipates that the financial services provider will earn $1.96 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.97. Wedbush has a “Outperform” rating and a $86.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for East West Bancorp’s current full-year earnings is $7.90 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for East West Bancorp’s Q1 2025 earnings at $1.90 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $2.01 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.14 EPS and Q4 2025 earnings at $2.15 EPS.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 29.11% and a return on equity of 18.47%. The business had revenue of $654.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $641.91 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.37 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Barclays started coverage on East West Bancorp in a research note on Friday, March 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $106.00 price target on the stock. Stephens assumed coverage on East West Bancorp in a report on Friday, December 8th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $79.00 price target for the company. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on East West Bancorp from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Compass Point boosted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on East West Bancorp from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.36.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

East West Bancorp stock opened at $79.25 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $11.10 billion, a PE ratio of 9.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. East West Bancorp has a 52-week low of $41.12 and a 52-week high of $79.25. The company’s 50 day moving average is $73.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EWBC. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 17.4% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,819 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,725,000 after acquiring an additional 3,228 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. bought a new stake in East West Bancorp in the first quarter valued at approximately $836,000. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can lifted its holdings in East West Bancorp by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 77,662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,308,000 after purchasing an additional 5,821 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its holdings in East West Bancorp by 221.0% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 2,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $205,000 after acquiring an additional 1,790 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in East West Bancorp by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,803,992 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,090,792,000 after purchasing an additional 86,848 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other East West Bancorp news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.58, for a total value of $147,160.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 16,739 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,655.62. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other East West Bancorp news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 2,000 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.58, for a total value of $147,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 16,739 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,655.62. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,625 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.26, for a total transaction of $125,547.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,321 shares in the company, valued at $797,400.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.91% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were given a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. This is a positive change from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 1st. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.89%.

About East West Bancorp

East West Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for East West Bank that provides a range of personal and commercial banking services to businesses and individuals in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Consumer and Business Banking, Commercial Banking, and Other.