East West Bancorp, Inc.
- Open
- 129.00
- Day high
- 129.29
- Day low
- 126.61
- Prev close
- 129.44
- Volume
- 1.1M
- Mkt cap
- $17.4B
- P/E (TTM)
- 12.1
- EPS (TTM)
- $10.50
- P/B
- 1.9
- P/S
- 3.7
- Yield
- 2.36%
- Per share
- $3.00
- ▼Insiders net selling -$3.1M over the last 3 months (0 open-market buys, 5 sales)
- 🏛Institutions accumulating (13F)
East West Bancorp, Inc. (EWBC) is a Financial Services company listed on NASDAQ. The stock is up 20% over the past year. Over the trailing 3 months, insiders filed 0 open-market buys and 5 sales (SEC Form 4). Drillr has 1 published research article covering EWBC.
East West Bancorp, Inc. (EWBC) financials & analyst ratings
Fundamentals (TTM)
Analyst consensus · 9 analysts
Source: exchange market data + company filings. Figures are trailing-twelve-month or as most recently reported. For informational purposes only — not investment advice.
EWBC earnings date, history & EPS estimates
| Report date | EPS est | EPS actual | Surprise | Revenue | Rev. surprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2026 | $2.61 | $2.63 | +0.7% | $791M | +0.6% |
| Apr 21, 2026 | $2.46 | $2.57 | +4.5% | $774M | +2.9% |
| Jan 22, 2026 | $2.48 | $2.52 | +1.6% | $758M | +1.5% |
| Oct 21, 2025 | $2.36 | $2.62 | +11.0% | $803M | +10.8% |
| Jul 22, 2025 | $2.25 | $2.28 | +1.3% | $703M | +0.0% |
| Apr 22, 2025 | $2.05 | $2.09 | +2.0% | $683M | +1.7% |
| Jan 23, 2025 | $2.12 | $2.08 | -1.9% | $663M | +0.7% |
| Oct 22, 2024 | $2.06 | $2.09 | +1.5% | $645M | +0.5% |
| Jul 23, 2024 | $1.98 | $2.07 | +4.5% | $626M | -0.9% |
| Jan 23, 2024 | $1.92 | $2.04 | +6.1% | $643M | +9.4% |
| Oct 19, 2023 | $2.04 | $2.02 | -0.8% | $636M | +7.0% |
| Jul 20, 2023 | $2.23 | $2.20 | -1.1% | $635M | +4.8% |
EWBC insider trading activity (SEC Form 4)
| Date | Insider | Type | Shares | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2026 | LIU JACK Cdirector | Sell | 1,000 | $135.02 |
| Aug 6, 2026 | KRAUSE DOUGLAS PAULofficer: Vice Chairman | Sell | 10,000 | $132.37 |
| Jun 16, 2026 | Oh Irene Hofficer: Chief Risk Officer | Sell | 800 | $133.19 |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Oh Irene Hofficer: Chief Risk Officer | Sell | 500 | $132.50 |
| Jun 11, 2026 | Oh Irene Hofficer: Chief Risk Officer | Sell | 11,211 | $129.00 |
| May 27, 2026 | KRAUSE DOUGLAS PAULofficer: Vice Chairman | Sell | 10,000 | $123.50 |
| May 21, 2026 | LIU JACK Cdirector | Grant | 1,156 | — |
| May 21, 2026 | SUSSMAN LESTERdirector | Grant | 1,156 | — |
| May 21, 2026 | Dumont Sergedirector | Grant | 1,156 | — |
| May 21, 2026 | HUTCHINS MARK Rdirector | Grant | 1,156 | — |
| May 21, 2026 | CAMPBELL MOLLYdirector | Grant | 1,156 | — |
| May 21, 2026 | Babej Peterdirector | Grant | 1,156 | — |
| May 21, 2026 | Irving Paul Hdirector | Grant | 1,156 | — |
| May 21, 2026 | Alvarez Manuel Phamdirector | Grant | 1,156 | — |
| May 21, 2026 | Kay Sabrinadirector | Grant | 1,156 | — |
Source: EWBC SEC Form 4 filings, latest Aug 12, 2026. For informational purposes only — not investment advice.
See the full EWBC insider & 13F page →East West Bancorp, Inc. company profile
Overview
East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) is a bank holding company founded in 1998 and headquartered in Pasadena, California. The company operates East West Bank, which has established itself as a prominent bridge between the United States and Greater China markets. With approximately 120 locations across the United States and China, plus full-service branches in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shantou, and Shenzhen, East West Bank has grown to become one of the largest independent banks on the West Coast with over $75 billion in assets as of 2024.
Business
East West Bancorp operates as a diversified commercial bank serving both individual consumers and businesses through three main segments. The company's core business revolves around traditional banking services including accepting deposits and making loans, but with a distinctive focus on facilitating business relationships between the United States and Greater China. The Consumer and Business Banking segment provides standard retail banking services such as personal and business checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, and time deposits. This segment also handles residential mortgage lending and home equity loans for individual customers. The Commercial Banking segment represents the largest portion of the business, focusing on commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate financing, construction loans, and specialized services like trade finance and letters of credit. This segment particularly emphasizes serving businesses engaged in cross-border commerce between the U.S. and China, providing unique expertise in facilitating international business transactions. The Other segment includes treasury management services, wealth management, foreign exchange services, and various fee-based banking services. The bank also provides specialized financing for affordable housing projects, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and project finance. East West Bank's loan portfolio is strategically diversified across three roughly equal segments: commercial and industrial loans (approximately one-third), residential mortgages (approximately one-third), and commercial real estate loans (approximately one-third). This balanced approach helps mitigate concentration risk while serving diverse customer needs across multiple market segments.
Revenue model
East West Bancorp generates revenue through traditional banking activities, primarily earning the spread between interest paid on deposits and interest earned on loans and securities. The bank's net interest income represents the largest revenue source, accounting for approximately 75-80% of total revenue. This comes from lending activities across commercial and industrial loans, residential mortgages, and commercial real estate financing. Fee income has become an increasingly important revenue stream, growing 12% in 2024 to record levels and representing roughly 20-25% of total revenue. Fee income includes deposit account fees, lending fees, foreign exchange income, wealth management fees, treasury management services, and trade finance fees. The bank's unique position serving U.S.-China business relationships generates significant foreign exchange and trade finance fee income. The bank's customers include individual consumers seeking traditional banking services, small and medium-sized businesses, large commercial enterprises, real estate developers, and companies engaged in international trade between the U.S. and Greater China. Commercial customers typically generate higher margins through both loan spreads and fee-based services. Several factors influence the bank's profitability margins. Interest rate environment significantly impacts net interest margins - rising rates generally benefit the bank's asset-sensitive balance sheet, while falling rates compress margins. Deposit competition affects funding costs, with intense competition potentially forcing higher deposit rates and reducing spreads. Credit quality directly impacts profitability through loan loss provisions and charge-offs. Regulatory changes, particularly those affecting banks approaching $100 billion in assets, could increase compliance costs and reduce efficiency ratios. Economic conditions in both the U.S. and China affect loan demand, credit quality, and fee income generation, while geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China could impact the bank's specialized cross-border business relationships.
Competitive moat
East West Bank's primary competitive advantage lies in its unique positioning as a bridge between U.S. and Greater China markets, built over decades of relationship development and cultural expertise. This specialized market niche creates significant barriers to entry, as competitors would need years to develop similar relationships, language capabilities, and cultural understanding necessary to serve this customer base effectively. The bank's relationship-based banking model generates customer stickiness through comprehensive service offerings including lending, deposits, foreign exchange, trade finance, and wealth management. These deep relationships create switching costs for customers who rely on the bank's specialized expertise in cross-border transactions and cultural navigation. Regulatory barriers also provide some protection, as banking licenses and regulatory approvals in multiple jurisdictions create high entry costs for potential competitors. The bank's established presence in both U.S. and Chinese markets would be difficult and expensive to replicate. However, the moat faces several challenges. Geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China could disrupt the bank's core value proposition and force customers to seek alternative banking relationships. Larger national banks with greater resources could potentially compete more aggressively for the same customer segments. Fintech disruption in cross-border payments and trade finance could reduce the bank's competitive advantages in these specialized services. Additionally, the bank's geographic concentration on the West Coast and dependence on U.S.-China business relationships creates vulnerability to regional economic downturns or changes in trade patterns. The moat appears moderately strong in the near term due to established relationships and specialized expertise, but faces meaningful long-term risks from geopolitical and technological disruption.
Risks & safety
East West Bancorp demonstrates a solid margin of safety with strong capital position and conservative risk management, though typical banking sector risks remain. **Capital and Liquidity:** - Common Equity Tier 1 ratio of 14.1% (well above regulatory minimums) - Tangible common equity ratio of 9.7% - Cash and securities representing 24% of total assets ($5.3 billion cash and short-term investments) - Strong liquidity position with diversified funding sources **Credit Quality:** - Net charge-offs at historically low 26 basis points for 2024 - Non-performing assets ratio of only 27 basis points - Total loan loss allowance of 1.29% provides reasonable cushion - Well-diversified loan portfolio reduces concentration risk **Valuation Metrics:** - Price-to-earnings ratio of 11.3x (reasonable for a quality regional bank) - Price-to-book ratio of 1.7x (moderate premium to book value) - Return on equity of 15.1% demonstrates strong profitability **Other Considerations:** - Minimal direct exposure to recent California wildfire damage - Proactive preparation for potential Category 4 bank regulations - Strong deposit growth and customer relationships provide stability
Recent development
Over the past few years, East West Bancorp has pursued several strategic initiatives focused on diversification, technology investment, and preparing for larger bank regulations. The bank has emphasized loan portfolio diversification, successfully achieving a balanced mix with roughly equal portions in commercial and industrial lending, residential mortgages, and commercial real estate, reducing concentration risk. Fee income growth has been a major strategic focus, with the bank achieving record fee income in 2024 through expanded wealth management services, foreign exchange capabilities, and treasury management offerings. This diversification reduces dependence on net interest income and creates more stable revenue streams. The bank has made significant technology and infrastructure investments to enhance digital banking capabilities and prepare for potential Category 4 bank regulatory requirements as assets approach $100 billion. These investments include upgraded mobile and online banking platforms and enhanced risk management systems. Capital management has become more sophisticated, with the bank implementing opportunistic share repurchase programs, increasing dividend payments by 9% in 2024, and maintaining flexibility for potential acquisitions. The board approved a $300 million share repurchase authorization, demonstrating confidence in the bank's capital generation capabilities. Geographic and market expansion continues through selective talent acquisition and relationship building, particularly in entertainment industry financing and private equity lending verticals. The bank has maintained its focus on organic growth while selectively evaluating acquisition opportunities that could enhance fee income capabilities or market presence. Throughout these developments, management has emphasized maintaining East West's distinctive culture and relationship-based banking approach while building capabilities to compete effectively as a larger regional bank.
EWBC company profile · for informational purposes only — not investment advice.
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