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BMO vs. EWBC: Bank of Montreal vs. East West Bancorp Stock Comparison

How do Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC) both belong to the Banks industry, though BMO is classified under Diversified Banks while EWBC falls under Regional Banks.

Company profile comparison for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC)
Profile ItemBMOEWBC
NameBank of MontrealEast West Bancorp Inc.
Country/RegionCanadaUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupBanksBanks
GICS IndustryBanksBanks
GICS Sub-IndustryDiversified BanksRegional Banks
Market Capitalization118.95 billion USD17.65 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateOctober 27, 1994February 3, 1999
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BMO
EWBC
GSPC
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. East West Bancorp (EWBC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC)
MetricBMOEWBC
Total Return (1Y)44.12%30.57%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)35.66%36.90%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)13.54%12.56%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BMO
EWBC
GSPC
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. East West Bancorp (EWBC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC)
MetricBMOEWBC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)20.96%23.01%
Beta (5Y)0.930.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)-34.29%-54.06%
Avg. Volume (3M)728.11K807.94K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BMO and EWBC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC)
MetricBMOEWBC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.901.14
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.791.69

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

East West Bancorp (EWBC) at 16.57% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 10.57% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for EWBC.

BMO

Banks industry group

10.57%

Max
19.84%
Q3
13.67%
Median
11.49%
BMO
10.57%
Q1
9.50%
Min
3.64%

EWBC

Banks industry group

16.57%

Max
19.84%
EWBC
16.57%
Q3
13.67%
Median
11.49%
Q1
9.50%
Min
3.64%
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. East West Bancorp (EWBC): A comparison of their ROE against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

East West Bancorp (EWBC) at 50.06% retains an above-range share of revenue as profit, while Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 25.66% keeps a bottom-quartile share — a wide gap in how much each sales dollar survives to the bottom line.

BMO

Banks industry group

25.66%

Max
47.19%
Q3
35.25%
Median
31.21%
Q1
27.11%
BMO
25.66%
Min
14.93%

EWBC

Banks industry group

50.06%

EWBC
50.06%
Max
47.19%
Q3
35.25%
Median
31.21%
Q1
27.11%
Min
14.93%
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. East West Bancorp (EWBC): A comparison of their net margin against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Banks and East West Bancorp (EWBC) in Banks, funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC)
MetricBMOEWBC
ROE (TTM)10.57%16.57%
ROA (TTM)0.62%1.76%
Net Margin (TTM)25.66%50.06%
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 12.67% and East West Bancorp (EWBC) at 12.86% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. East West Bancorp (EWBC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 20.29% and East West Bancorp (EWBC) at 14.29% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. East West Bancorp (EWBC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC)
MetricBMOEWBC
Revenue Growth (YoY)12.67%12.86%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)11.19%7.70%
EPS Growth (YoY)20.29%14.29%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-16.98%6.33%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Banks and East West Bancorp (EWBC) in Banks both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Banks and East West Bancorp (EWBC) in Banks run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC)
MetricBMOEWBC
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 3.87% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while East West Bancorp (EWBC) at 2.32% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, BMO the richer one.

BMO

Banks industry group

3.87%

Max
5.79%
BMO
3.87%
Q3
3.18%
Median
2.39%
Q1
1.20%
Min
0.00%

EWBC

Banks industry group

2.32%

Max
5.79%
Q3
3.18%
Median
2.39%
EWBC
2.32%
Q1
1.20%
Min
0.00%
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. East West Bancorp (EWBC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

East West Bancorp (EWBC) at 28.52% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 54.44% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

BMO

Banks industry group

54.44%

Max
70.75%
BMO
54.44%
Q3
41.28%
Median
29.26%
Q1
18.98%
Min
0.00%

EWBC

Banks industry group

28.52%

Max
70.75%
Q3
41.28%
Median
29.26%
EWBC
28.52%
Q1
18.98%
Min
0.00%
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. East West Bancorp (EWBC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC)
MetricBMOEWBC
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.87%2.32%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)54.44%28.52%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

East West Bancorp (EWBC) at 12.25 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 19.34 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for BMO’s trailing earnings.

BMO

Banks industry group

19.34

BMO
19.34
Max
18.16
Q3
13.75
Median
11.81
Q1
10.64
Min
6.49

EWBC

Banks industry group

12.25

Max
18.16
Q3
13.75
EWBC
12.25
Median
11.81
Q1
10.64
Min
6.49
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. East West Bancorp (EWBC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Banks industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

P/S ratio is set aside for both Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Banks and East West Bancorp (EWBC) in Banks: without a conventional revenue line, pricing per dollar of sales isn’t meaningful, and book- or earnings-based multiples make the better comparison.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 1.97 and East West Bancorp (EWBC) at 1.95 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

BMO

Banks industry group

1.97

Max
2.28
BMO
1.97
Q3
1.58
Median
1.32
Q1
1.10
Min
0.59

EWBC

Banks industry group

1.95

Max
2.28
EWBC
1.95
Q3
1.58
Median
1.32
Q1
1.10
Min
0.59
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. East West Bancorp (EWBC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and East West Bancorp (EWBC)
MetricBMOEWBC
P/E Ratio (TTM)19.3412.25
P/S Ratio (TTM)----
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.971.95
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----