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

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. reduced its position in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm 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.’s holdings in East West Bancorp were worth $12,786,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 14,937 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,826 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in East West Bancorp by 13.7% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,559,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $166,045,000 after buying an additional 187,433 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its position in East West Bancorp by 14.8% in the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 49,256 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,243,000 after acquiring an additional 6,338 shares during the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC raised its stake in East West Bancorp by 6.0% during the third quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 504,970 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,754,000 after acquiring an additional 28,699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of East West Bancorp in the third quarter worth about $42,000. 89.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories 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

Insider Buying and Selling at East West Bancorp

In other East West Bancorp news, Director Molly Campbell sold 1,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.73, for a total transaction of $159,189.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 7,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $791,339.88. This trade represents a 16.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Parker Shi sold 8,844 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.03, for a total transaction of $1,017,325.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 14,950 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,719,698.50. This represents a 37.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 73,344 shares of company stock worth $8,184,226. Company insiders own 1.04% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EWBC opened at $111.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.89. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.27 and a 52 week high of $119.73. The firm has a market cap of $15.32 billion, a PE ratio of 11.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $111.90 and its 200-day moving average is $106.83.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $754.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $745.04 million. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 16.04% and a net margin of 28.36%.During the same period last year, the company earned $2.10 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current year.

East West Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 2nd will be issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 2nd. This is a boost from East West Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. East West Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EWBC has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of East West Bancorp in a report on Monday, December 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 upped their price target on shares of East West Bancorp from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on East West Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $133.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $126.00 price objective on shares of East West Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.62.

East West Bancorp Company Profile

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.