Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Has $12.79 Million Stake in East West Bancorp, Inc. $EWBC

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. cut its stake in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) by 12.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 120,042 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 16,348 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. owned 0.09% of East West Bancorp worth $12,786,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new stake in East West Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. American National Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its stake in East West Bancorp by 127.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in East West Bancorp by 82.6% in the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on East West Bancorp from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Zacks Research lowered shares of East West Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $133.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial set a $121.00 price objective on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $126.00 price target on shares of East West Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.62.

East West Bancorp Trading Down 3.4%

Shares of East West Bancorp stock opened at $111.35 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $15.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 12-month low of $68.27 and a 12-month high of $119.73. The business’s 50 day moving average is $111.90 and its 200-day moving average is $106.83.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $745.04 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.85 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 2nd will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This is an increase from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.21%.

Key East West Bancorp News

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Vice Chairman Douglas Paul Krause sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.04, for a total transaction of $1,000,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 45,500 shares in the company, valued at $4,551,820. The trade was a 18.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Parker Shi sold 8,844 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.03, for a total value of $1,017,325.32. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 14,950 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,719,698.50. This trade represents a 37.17% 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 valued at $8,184,226. Company insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

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.