East West Bancorp, Inc. $EWBC Shares Purchased by Jennison Associates LLC

Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) by 13.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,559,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 187,433 shares during the quarter. Jennison Associates LLC owned 1.13% of East West Bancorp worth $166,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 49,256 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,243,000 after acquiring an additional 6,338 shares during the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 504,970 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $53,754,000 after purchasing an additional 28,699 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in East West Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in East West Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth about $213,000. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in East West Bancorp by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,701 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $586,000 after buying an additional 281 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of EWBC opened at $111.35 on Friday. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.27 and a 52 week high of $119.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company has a market capitalization of $15.32 billion, a PE ratio of 11.70, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $111.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.84.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 16.04%. The business had revenue of $754.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $745.04 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. Research analysts expect that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be given a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. This is an increase from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. East West Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 25.21%.

Insider Activity at East West Bancorp

In other news, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,520 shares of East West Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.73, for a total transaction of $159,189.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 7,556 shares in the company, valued at $791,339.88. The trade was a 16.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas Paul Krause sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.04, for a total value of $1,000,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 45,500 shares in the company, valued at $4,551,820. This represents a 18.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 73,344 shares of company stock worth $8,184,226. 1.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting East West Bancorp

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus — EWBC reported $2.52 EPS (vs. $2.48 est.) and revenues of $754.9M, showing year‑over‑year growth and a beat on both headline metrics. East West Bancorp (EWBC) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Record full‑year results and bigger payout — East West reported record 2025 net income of $1.3B (diluted EPS $9.52) and increased the quarterly dividend 33% to $0.80/share, which supports income investors and signals confidence from management. Business Wire: East West Bancorp Reports Record Net Income for 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target uplift — Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target to $135 with an Outperform rating (roughly ~21% above the current level), indicating continued analyst bullishness on medium‑term upside. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks lifted forward EPS forecasts — Zacks updated multiple quarterly and FY2026/FY2027 EPS estimates higher, reflecting expectations for continued earnings growth (Zacks still carries a Hold rating). (See Zacks research notes for details.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and full disclosure available — Management commentary and slides from the Q4 call are available for investors to review guidance, asset quality and expense drivers. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst ratings mix — while some price targets were raised, major research houses (e.g., Zacks) maintain a Hold rating; investors should read analyst notes for valuation assumptions and multiples.
• Negative Sentiment: Higher operating costs trimmed investor enthusiasm — coverage notes that non‑interest expenses rose year‑over‑year, which weighed on the stock despite the beat and contributed to the intraday selloff. EWBC Stock Dips Despite Q4 Earnings Beat, Revenues & Costs Rise Y/Y

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of East West Bancorp from $111.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of East West Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective 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. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Monday, December 29th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.62.

About East West Bancorp

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.