EWBC vs FFIN Stock Comparison
Compare EWBC and FFIN across AIQ Score, fundamentals, valuation, momentum, risk, analyst expectations and current market evidence.
What is the main difference between EWBC and FFIN?
EWBC leads the current stock comparison as East West Bancorp, Inc., with the clearest separation coming from value and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
East West Bancorp, Inc. vs First Financial Bankshares, Inc.
EWBC leads
EWBC leads by 3 AIQ points, primarily on Value.
Fragile: 4 of 6 evidence groups support EWBC, and its current signal state is conflicted.
East West Bancorp, Inc.
First Financial Bankshares, Inc.
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors EWBC over FFIN, 53 versus 50 as of Sep 6, 2026. EWBC's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value, while FFIN holds the stronger quality profile. EWBC also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor EWBC today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 3 points. EWBC lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 3 points over 30 sessions.
Compare East West Bancorp, Inc. and First Financial Bankshares, Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Price-return comparison using available daily close history.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000
Based on available close-price history. Distribution reinvestment is not added unless already reflected in the source series.
Compare EWBC and FFIN against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Value30%47 vs 33EWBC +14
- Quality30%68 vs 73FFIN +5
- Risk Resilience15%66 vs 63Even
- Momentum25%35 vs 33Even
4 of 6 evidence groups favor EWBC. EWBC’s edge is concentrated in value; FFIN keeps a meaningful quality edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-09-05, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-04.
No factor moved materially.
No new signals fired.
No factor moved materially.
No new signals fired.
EWBC's lead was unchanged in the latest snapshot.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — EWBC and FFIN both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
EWBC (East West Bancorp, Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value.
FFIN (First Financial Bankshares, Inc.): the counter-case, on quality.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
EWBCEWBC on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value at 30% each.
Growth
EvenGrowth figures are not covered for both names.
Value
EWBCEWBC on the peer-relative Value factor, by 14 points.
Momentum
EvenThe two are level on Momentum.
Lower downside
FFINFFIN carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility.
Analyst upside
EWBCEWBC on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.
| Measure | EWBC | FFIN | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +8.4% | +4.7% | EWBC has more room |
| Target dispersion | +22.6% | 0% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Buy | Hold | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 8 | 2 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor EWBC. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | Even | 53 vs 50 |
| Fundamentals | EWBCon balance | revenue growth 2.4% vs 3.1%; EPS growth 2.3% vs 0%; TTM ROE 16.2% vs 14%; gross margin 62.2% vs 73.1%; operating margin 39.4% vs 38% — EWBC takes 3 of 5 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | EWBC | Value 47 vs 33 |
| Technicals | EWBC | Price vs 50-day -0.4% vs -3.2%; vs 200-day 9% vs 3.2% |
| Risk Resilience | Even | Risk Resilience 66 vs 63 |
| Analyst expectations | EWBC | Target upside 8.4% vs 4.7% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of EWBC and FFIN and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is narrow at 3 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on EWBC.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Apr 24 – Sep 5EWBC lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 3 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- EWBC +3
- 53 vs 50
- 7 sessions ago
- EWBC +1
- 50 vs 49
- 30 sessions ago
- EWBC +3
- 62 vs 59
- 90 sessions ago
- FFIN +3
- 56 vs 59
The lead changed hands 2 times in this window, most recently on Jul 29 when FFIN moved ahead of EWBC.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
1 bullish / 1 bearish, conflicted
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (9.49%)
- MACD Bearish Crossover — bearish, momentum, short horizon
1 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (6.62%)
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- MACD Bearish Crossover — bearish, momentum, short horizon
EWBC leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +0.12%, AIQ 0 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +0.3%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1FFIN closes the Value gap — currently 14 points behind, the largest single contributor to EWBC's edge.
- 2FFIN's MACD Bearish Crossover resolves — a bearish momentum rule currently active against it.
- 3EWBC's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
EWBC leads on balance| Metric | EWBC | FFIN |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 2.4% | 3.1% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | 2.3% | 0% |
| Gross margin | 62.2% | 73.1% |
| Operating margin | 39.4% | 38% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 16.2% | 14% |
| Debt to equity | 0.43 | 0.04 |
Performance
EWBC leads 6 of 6 windows| Metric | EWBC | FFIN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 1% | 0.1% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -0.7% | -3.5% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | 3.8% | 3% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | 23% | 11.2% |
| Year to date | 16.4% | 12% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 22.8% | -8.7% |
Technicals
EWBC has the stronger structure| Metric | EWBC | FFIN |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 35.1 | 32.1 |
| ADX (14) | 15.5 | 24 |
| Price vs 50-day | -0.4% | -3.2% |
| Price vs 200-day | 9% | 3.2% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 18.9% | 15.9% |
Risk
Split| Metric | EWBC | FFIN |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.81 | 0.53 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.72 | -0.48 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.98 | -0.66 |
| Max drawdown | -15.7% | -23.2% |
| Current drawdown | -4.3% | -10.2% |
| Annualized volatility | 24.8% | 24.4% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -2.1% | -2.5% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, EWBC or FFIN?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, EWBC is the stronger of the two as of Sep 6, 2026, scoring 53 against FFIN's 50. The edge comes from value. FFIN is not without a case — it holds the better quality profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is EWBC or FFIN the better buy right now?
EWBC carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 6, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 4 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the AIQ gap is narrow at 3 points. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor EWBC over FFIN?
The composite weights Quality at 30%, Value at 30%, Momentum at 25% and Risk Resilience at 15%. EWBC leads Value by 14 points; FFIN leads Quality by 5 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, EWBC or FFIN?
Analyst price targets imply +8.4% upside for EWBC and +4.7% for FFIN, so the Street currently favors EWBC. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, EWBC or FFIN?
EWBC is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. EWBC on the peer-relative Value factor, by 14 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, EWBC or FFIN?
Growth figures are not covered for both names. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, EWBC or FFIN?
The two are level on Momentum. Momentum carries 25% of the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, EWBC or FFIN?
FFIN is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. FFIN carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility. The Risk Resilience factor weights 15% of the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is EWBC more profitable than FFIN?
The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 62.2% vs 73.1%; operating margin 39.4% vs 38%; ttm roe 16.2% vs 14%. EWBC leads on two measures and FFIN on one measure, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.
Is EWBC's lead over FFIN getting stronger or weaker?
EWBC lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 3 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-04-24 and 2026-09-05. The lead has changed hands 2 times in that window, most recently on 2026-07-29, when FFIN moved ahead of EWBC.
What would change the EWBC vs FFIN verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: FFIN closes the Value gap — currently 14 points behind, the largest single contributor to EWBC's edge; FFIN's MACD Bearish Crossover resolves — a bearish momentum rule currently active against it; EWBC's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about EWBC and FFIN?
EWBC: 1 bullish / 1 bearish, conflicted. FFIN: 1 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on EWBC is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon). On FFIN it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Compare EWBC and FFIN with others
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality (30%), Value (30%), Momentum (25%) and Risk (15%). Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.