East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) Announces Earnings Results

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.08, RTT News reports. The firm had revenue of $644.13 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $636.77 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 17.66%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.32 EPS.

East West Bancorp Stock Up 2.5 %

EWBC stock opened at $77.20 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company’s 50 day moving average is $74.69 and its 200 day moving average is $68.34. The stock has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.39. East West Bancorp has a 1-year low of $41.12 and a 1-year high of $79.54.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on EWBC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of East West Bancorp from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Compass Point boosted their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, East West Bancorp has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 10,321 shares in the company, valued at $797,400.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 10,321 shares in the company, valued at $797,400.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jack C. Liu sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.58, for a total transaction of $147,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 16,739 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,655.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.