3,450 Shares in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Bought by Barlow Wealth Partners Inc.

Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 3,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $205,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Client 1ST Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter worth about $272,000. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its position in Hancock Whitney by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 72,691 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,978,000 after acquiring an additional 7,725 shares during the period. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at about $223,000. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 17,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $972,000 after acquiring an additional 1,334 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of HWC opened at $60.74 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.62 and a beta of 1.27. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 52-week low of $41.19 and a 52-week high of $62.40. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $53.62.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.12. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 11.47%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.26 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.63%. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on HWC shares. Raymond James raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $68.00 target price on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.63.

Insider Transactions at Hancock Whitney

In related news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 763 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.40, for a total value of $39,981.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,232,343.20. The trade was a 3.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO John M. Hairston sold 18,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.44, for a total value of $1,069,920.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 254,026 shares in the company, valued at $15,099,305.44. The trade was a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Profile

Hancock Whitney Corporation operates as the financial holding company for Hancock Whitney Bank that provides traditional and online banking services to commercial, small business, and retail customers. It offers various transaction and savings deposit products consisting of brokered deposits, time deposits, and money market accounts; treasury management services, secured and unsecured loan products including revolving credit facilities, and letters of credit and similar financial guarantees; and trust and investment management services to retirement plans, corporations, and individuals, and investment advisory and brokerage products.