Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Receives $62.56 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nine brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $62.56.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HWC. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $74.00 price objective (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price target (up previously from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd.

Hancock Whitney Trading Up 0.2 %

HWC opened at $46.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $54.68 and its 200-day moving average is $55.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Hancock Whitney has a 52-week low of $41.56 and a 52-week high of $62.40.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.12. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 11.56%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.26 EPS. Analysts expect that Hancock Whitney will post 5.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.90%. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is 34.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HWC. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in Hancock Whitney by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 9,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,221,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 12,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $703,000 after buying an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its position in Hancock Whitney by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Hancock Whitney

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.