Is East West Bancorp (EWBC) A Good Pick For Value Investors?

Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?

One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:

PE Ratio

A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.

On this front, East West Bancorp has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 17.8, as you can see in the chart below:

This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 21.3. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, East West Bancorp’s current PE level puts it above its midpoint over the past five years, with the number having risen over the past few months.



Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 19.7. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.



We should also point out that East West Bancorp has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 16.0, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for East West Bancorp stock in the near term too.

P/S Ratio

Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.

Right now, East West Bancorp has a P/S ratio of about 5.7. However, this is higher than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.4 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is above the median for this stock in particular over the past few years.



EWBC is actually in the higher zone of its trading range in the time period per the P/S metric, which suggests that the company’s stock price has already appreciated to some degree, relative to its sales.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, East West Bancorp currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes East West Bancorp a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.

For example, the PEG ratio for East West Bancorp is 1.5, a level that is lower than the industry average of 2.0. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, EWBC is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though East West Bancorp might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of D and a Momentum score of D. This gives EWBC a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of C. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been mixed at best. The current quarter has seen three estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to two lower, while the full year estimate has seen four upward and two downward revisions in the same time period.

Consequently, the current quarter consensus estimate has remained stable in the past two months, while the full year estimate has inched up by 0.3%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

This somewhat mixed trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

East West Bancorp is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Moreover, a strong industry rank (Top 36% out of more than 250 industries) further supports the growth potential of the stock. In fact, over the past three years, the industry has outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:

However, with a Zacks Rank of 3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. So, value investors might want to wait for estimates and analyst sentiment to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick. Moreover, broader factors at the industry level support the growth potential of the company as well.

Zacks Editor-in-Chief Goes "All In" on This Stock

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East West Bancorp, Inc. (EWBC): Free Stock Analysis Report

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