Q3 EPS Forecast for Eastern Bankshares Lowered by Analyst

Eastern Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBC) – Equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Eastern Bankshares in a research note issued to investors on Sunday, April 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst D. Delmonte now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $0.49 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.50. The consensus estimate for Eastern Bankshares’ current full-year earnings is $1.91 per share. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods also issued estimates for Eastern Bankshares’ Q4 2026 earnings at $0.51 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.86 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.50 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.52 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.55 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.56 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.13 EPS.

Eastern Bankshares (NASDAQ:EBC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.04). Eastern Bankshares had a net margin of 26.28% and a return on equity of 8.60%. The company had revenue of $295.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $308.68 million.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on EBC. Hovde Group began coverage on shares of Eastern Bankshares in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $22.50 target price on the stock. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Eastern Bankshares from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Eastern Bankshares in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $24.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Eastern Bankshares in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Eastern Bankshares in a report on Monday, March 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $23.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eastern Bankshares has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.70.

Eastern Bankshares Stock Up 1.7%

Eastern Bankshares stock opened at $20.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Eastern Bankshares has a 12-month low of $14.10 and a 12-month high of $22.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $19.84 and its 200 day moving average is $19.35. The company has a market capitalization of $4.75 billion, a PE ratio of 11.37 and a beta of 0.76.

Institutional Trading of Eastern Bankshares

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eastern Bankshares in the first quarter valued at about $287,000. Keybank National Association OH raised its holdings in shares of Eastern Bankshares by 15.9% in the first quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 37,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $735,000 after purchasing an additional 5,154 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eastern Bankshares in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,634,000. World Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Eastern Bankshares in the fourth quarter valued at about $241,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Eastern Bankshares in the fourth quarter valued at about $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.68% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eastern Bankshares

In other Eastern Bankshares news, CFO R David Rosato acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $19.17 per share, for a total transaction of $95,850.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 45,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $862,650. This represents a 12.50% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO David Andrew Ahlquist sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.65, for a total transaction of $216,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $206,064.70. The trade was a 51.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.26% of the company’s stock.

Eastern Bankshares Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This is a positive change from Eastern Bankshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Eastern Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.21%.

About Eastern Bankshares

Eastern Bankshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Eastern Bank, one of the oldest and largest mutual banks in the United States. Founded in 1818 as Salem Savings Bank and later rebranded as Eastern Bank in 1989, the company preserved its mutual ownership structure for more than two centuries. In March 2020, it completed an initial public offering and began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker EBC, while continuing to emphasize its community-focused heritage.

Through its primary subsidiary, Eastern Bank, the company delivers a broad range of commercial and consumer banking products.