SFE Investment Counsel Makes New Investment in East West Bancorp, Inc. $EWBC

16 Aug 2026, 10:25 by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets Daily

SFE Investment Counsel purchased a new stake in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 10,610 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,370,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in East West Bancorp by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,825,161 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $319,523,000 after buying an additional 27,402 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 84,090.3% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 5,311,566 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $596,967,000 after buying an additional 5,305,257 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of East West Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $1,516,000. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of East West Bancorp by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 199,658 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,440,000 after buying an additional 17,486 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 264,173 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,046,000 after acquiring an additional 20,264 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on EWBC. Wall Street Zen raised East West Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. UBS Group lifted their price target on East West Bancorp from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Friday, July 10th. Stephens increased their price objective on East West Bancorp from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.77.

View Our Latest Stock Report on EWBC

Insider Transactions at East West Bancorp

In other news, Director Jack C. Liu sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.02, for a total value of $135,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 13,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,850,989.18. The trade was a 6.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas Paul Krause sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total value of $1,235,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 46,974 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,801,289. This represents a 17.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 33,511 shares of company stock worth $4,312,741. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of East West Bancorp stock opened at $136.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.67 and a 52-week high of $137.30. The company has a fifty day moving average of $131.07 and a 200-day moving average of $121.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.94.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $789.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $784.47 million. East West Bancorp had a net margin of 30.45% and a return on equity of 16.07%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.24 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 10.61 EPS for the current year.

East West Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd will be issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. East West Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 30.77%.

East West Bancorp Profile

(Free Report)

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.