Wedbush Weighs in on East West Bancorp, Inc.’s Q4 2024 Earnings (NASDAQ:EWBC)

East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) – Analysts at Wedbush increased their Q4 2024 earnings per share estimates for East West Bancorp in a research report issued on Wednesday, April 24th. Wedbush analyst D. Chiaverini now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $2.00 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.96. Wedbush currently has a “Outperform” rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for East West Bancorp’s current full-year earnings is $7.92 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for East West Bancorp’s Q1 2025 earnings at $2.00 EPS and Q4 2025 earnings at $2.18 EPS.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.08. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 17.43% and a net margin of 26.78%. The company had revenue of $644.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $636.77 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.32 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on East West Bancorp from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on East West Bancorp from $90.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Compass Point raised their target price on East West Bancorp from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Barclays began coverage on East West Bancorp in a research report on Friday, March 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $106.00 price target for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on East West Bancorp from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, East West Bancorp has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.08.

East West Bancorp Stock Down 1.1 %

EWBC stock opened at $76.36 on Friday. East West Bancorp has a twelve month low of $41.12 and a twelve month high of $79.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $74.76 and its 200-day moving average is $68.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.62 billion, a PE ratio of 9.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.39.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On East West Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in East West Bancorp by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC raised its position in East West Bancorp by 66.7% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in East West Bancorp by 65.1% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 535 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in East West Bancorp by 52.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 666 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in East West Bancorp by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $195,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at East West Bancorp

In related news, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,625 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.26, for a total value of $125,547.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,321 shares in the company, valued at $797,400.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other East West Bancorp news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,655.62. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.26, for a total value of $125,547.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $797,400.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.71%.

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.