Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) Receives $83.78 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $83.7778.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on HWC shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stephens decreased their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Hancock Whitney from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Hancock Whitney from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd.

Hancock Whitney Trading Up 0.3%

NASDAQ HWC opened at $75.93 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.60. Hancock Whitney has a 12 month low of $54.05 and a 12 month high of $80.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.89 and a beta of 0.94.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 21.81% and a return on equity of 11.36%. The firm had revenue of $403.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $398.89 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Hancock Whitney will post 6.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 4th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.22%.

Insider Transactions at Hancock Whitney

In related news, insider Emory L. Mayfield, Jr. sold 4,990 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.40, for a total value of $381,236.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 15,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,189,166. This trade represents a 24.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Achary sold 22,694 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.18, for a total value of $1,728,828.92. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 44,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,364,108.80. This trade represents a 33.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Emerald Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the second quarter valued at $3,085,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,070,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Hancock Whitney by 16.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 807,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,354,000 after acquiring an additional 114,029 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the second quarter valued at about $8,685,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 139.9% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 47,921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,047,000 after buying an additional 27,942 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

About Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Corporation is a financial services company headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi, and the parent company of Hancock Whitney Bank. The bank provides banking and financial services to individuals, families, businesses and institutions across the Gulf South.

Its offerings include personal and business deposit accounts, consumer and commercial loans, residential and commercial real estate financing, treasury management, online and mobile banking, investment services and wealth management.