Want to see EWBC full AI Analyst Report?
Top Page
East West Bancorp
(NASDAQ:EWBC)
Select Model
Select Model
Rating:74Outperform
Price Target:
$136.00
â–²(15.23% Upside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:05/20/26
EWBC scores well primarily on attractive valuation (low P/E with a dividend) and a strong, upbeat earnings call with raised NII guidance, strong capital, and solid operating efficiency. Financial performance is supportive but held back by volatility in revenue/cash-flow trends and shifting leverage, while technicals are moderately positive with longer-term uptrend but muted near-term momentum.
Positive Factors
Strong capital base and shareholder returns
A CET1 ratio of 15.1% gives the bank a durable capital cushion to absorb credit stress, support organic lending and permit repeatable capital returns. Ongoing buybacks and a recently raised dividend signal balanced capital deployment and governance discipline over the medium term.
Negative Factors
Volatile cash flow and revenue trends
Material swings in free cash flow and historically uneven revenue make forecasting capital returns, provisioning and reinvestment harder. Persistent volatility can constrain long-term planning, increase funding cushion needs, and raise the bar for sustaining buybacks and dividend increases.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Strong capital base and shareholder returns
A CET1 ratio of 15.1% gives the bank a durable capital cushion to absorb credit stress, support organic lending and permit repeatable capital returns. Ongoing buybacks and a recently raised dividend signal balanced capital deployment and governance discipline over the medium term.
Read all positive factors
East West Bancorp (EWBC) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)
Market Cap
$17.68B
Dividend Yield2.08%
Average Volume (3M)936.57K
Price to Earnings (P/E)12.8
Beta (1Y)1.07
Revenue Growth3.43%
EPS Growth19.50%
CountryUS
Employees3,100
SectorFinancial
Sector Strength70
IndustryBanks - Diversified
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)10.10
Shares Outstanding136,996,260
10 Day Avg. Volume1,206,594
30 Day Avg. Volume936,570
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio0.80
Price to Book (P/B)1.75
Price to Sales (P/S)3.32
P/FCF Ratio10.35
Enterprise Value/Market Cap1.16
Enterprise Value/Revenue4.32
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit7.00
Enterprise Value/Ebitda9.68
Forecast
1Y Price Target
$136.09Price Target Upside15.31% Upside
Rating ConsensusStrong Buy
Number of Analyst Covering12
EPS Forecast (FY)10.65
Revenue Forecast (FY)$3.19B
East West Bancorp Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
East West Bancorp, Inc. functions as the parent entity for East West Bank, which delivers a comprehensive suite of personal and commercial banking solutions to both businesses and individual clients. The organization segments its operations into t...
How the Company Makes Money
East West Bancorp primarily earns money through (1) net interest income and (2) noninterest income. Net interest income is generated from the spread between interest earned on interest-earning assets—most importantly loans (e.g., commercial loans,...
East West Bancorp Earnings Call Summary
Earnings Call Date:Apr 21, 2026
(Q1-2026)
| % Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Jul 21, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call reflected a strongly positive operating quarter: record deposit, loan and fee growth, improved NII and a very strong capital position. Asset quality remained stable with conservative reserve builds. Offsetting risks discussed included deposit pricing pressure and concentration/timing risk from capital-call-driven NBFI growth, modestly higher provisions and potential near-term variability in loan balances as some capital-call lines pay down. Overall, positives (growth, capital, fee momentum and stable credit metrics) substantially outweighed the headwinds.Positive Updates
Record Deposits, Loans and Fee Income
Total deposits grew 9% year-over-year with end-of-period deposits up $1.8 billion quarter-over-quarter; noninterest-bearing deposits increased nearly $800 million. Total loan growth was 7% year-over-year with C&I driving growth (C&I now 34% of total loans) and a quarter-over-quarter C&I increase of more than $900 million. Fee income reached a record $99 million, up 12% year-over-year.
Negative Updates
Deposit Pricing Pressure and Competitive Funding Environment
Management flagged ongoing deposit pricing pressure and a competitive market. While deposit mix improved, the bank noted it has likely 'flattened out' the benefit from rolling down CD costs; $10+ billion of CDs rolled over in Q1 and the current CD special (3.60%) is unlikely to materially lower overall CD pricing further.
Read all updates
Q1-2026 Updates
Positive
Negative
Record Deposits, Loans and Fee Income
Total deposits grew 9% year-over-year with end-of-period deposits up $1.8 billion quarter-over-quarter; noninterest-bearing deposits increased nearly $800 million. Total loan growth was 7% year-over-year with C&I driving growth (C&I now 34% of total loans) and a quarter-over-quarter C&I increase of more than $900 million. Fee income reached a record $99 million, up 12% year-over-year.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Management reiterated full‑year loan growth of 5–7% (after 7% YoY loan growth in Q1 and >$900M sequential C&I growth) and raised net interest income guidance to +6–8% (Q1 NII $671M), while updating credit and capital outlooks: net charge‑offs now forecast 15–25 bps for 2026 (Q1 NCOs 9 bps, $12M), nonperforming assets 26 bps, Q1 provision $36M, ACL up $26M to $836M (1.44% of loans), CET1 15.1% and tangible common equity 10.3%. They also highlighted strong deposit metrics and efficiency — total deposits +9% YoY, end‑period deposits +$1.8B QoQ, average DDA +12% YoY (≈+$0.5B), noninterest‑bearing deposits up ≈$800M, >$10B of CD rollovers with net CD growth $127M, period‑end deposit costs down 6 bps QoQ (interest‑bearing deposit costs down 111 bps since the start of the cut cycle), record fee income $99M (+12% YoY, targeting double‑digit fee growth in 2026), efficiency ratio 36.2%, operating noninterest expense $258M, repurchases of ~938k shares ($98M) with $117M authorization remaining, and ~$111M returned to shareholders in dividends.East West Bancorp Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
78
Positive
Balance Sheet
71
Positive
Cash Flow
62
Positive
| Breakdown | TTM | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2022 | Dec 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | ||||||
| Total Revenue | 4.73B | 4.69B | 4.48B | 3.95B | 2.59B | 1.89B |
| Gross Profit | 2.92B | 2.82B | 2.39B | 2.44B | 2.25B | 1.84B |
| EBITDA | 2.11B | 2.03B | 1.68B | 1.62B | 1.57B | 1.21B |
| Net Income | 1.39B | 1.33B | 1.17B | 1.16B | 1.13B | 872.98M |
Balance Sheet | ||||||
| Total Assets | 82.89B | 80.43B | 75.98B | 69.61B | 64.11B | 60.87B |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 657.08M | 656.13M | 5.48B | 10.81B | 9.66B | 14.61B |
| Total Debt | 3.68B | 3.17B | 3.75B | 4.76B | 564.33M | 806.86M |
| Total Liabilities | 73.89B | 71.54B | 68.25B | 62.66B | 58.13B | 55.03B |
| Stockholders Equity | 9.00B | 8.90B | 7.72B | 6.95B | 5.98B | 5.84B |
Cash Flow | ||||||
| Free Cash Flow | 1.55B | 1.50B | 1.41B | 1.42B | 2.07B | 1.16B |
| Operating Cash Flow | 1.65B | 1.50B | 1.41B | 1.42B | 2.07B | 1.17B |
| Investing Cash Flow | -5.70B | -5.48B | -6.30B | -4.25B | -4.58B | -9.12B |
| Financing Cash Flow | 5.02B | 2.90B | 5.53B | 3.96B | 2.11B | 7.84B |
East West Bancorp Technical Analysis
Positive
118.02
Price Trends
124.75
Positive
118.06
Positive
112.40
Positive
Market Momentum
1.78
Positive
56.51
Neutral
47.00
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For EWBC, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 118.02 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 128.23, below the 50-day MA of 124.75, and above the 200-day MA of 112.40, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 1.78 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 56.51 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 47.00 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for EWBC.
East West Bancorp Risk Analysis
East West Bancorp disclosed 36 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. East West Bancorp reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks
East West Bancorp Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (68)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
80 Outperform | $2.38B | 10.11 | 21.63% | 3.70% | -2.40% | 20.47% | |
75 Outperform | $140.16B | 11.82 | 18.94% | 3.27% | -10.12% | 13.24% | |
74 Outperform | $17.68B | 12.81 | 16.06% | 2.08% | 3.43% | 19.50% | |
71 Outperform | $89.45B | 12.69 | 12.71% | 4.14% | 10.57% | 19.15% | |
68 Neutral | $18.00B | 11.42 | 9.92% | 3.81% | 9.73% | 1.22% | |
64 Neutral | $70.28B | 7.41 | 14.55% | 3.67% | 7.21% | 26.24% | |
62 Neutral | $90.50B | 11.43 | 9.46% | 1.71% | 12.95% | 21.64% |
* Financial Sector Average
EWBC
East West Bancorp
129.09
24.34
23.23%
BBVA
Banco Bilbao
25.06
10.26
69.30%
BCS
Barclays
26.86
9.33
53.21%
ING
ING Groep
31.38
10.03
46.97%
NWG
NatWest Group
17.63
5.36
43.72%
NTB
Bank of NT Butterfield & Son
59.50
15.45
35.06%
East West Bancorp Corporate Events
Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
East West Bancorp Shareholders Approve 2026 Governance Proposals
Positive
May 19, 2026
On May 18, 2026, East West Bancorp, Inc. held its 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, with about 90.95% of eligible shares represented, and shareholders elected eleven directors to one-year terms, ensuring continuity of the board’s leadersh...
Business Operations and StrategyFinancial Disclosures
East West Bancorp Posts Strong First-Quarter 2026 Results
Positive
Apr 21, 2026
East West Bancorp reported that for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, net income rose 23% year over year to $358 million, or $2.57 per diluted share, driven by record levels of loans, deposits and fee income, with returns on average assets a...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.