Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Price Target Cut to $79.00 by Analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut Hancock Whitney’s price target to $79 from $80 while maintaining a “market perform” rating, implying 8.56% upside from the prior close. The analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with an average target of $84.56.
• Hancock Whitney’s shares fell 1.8% to $72.77. The company reported quarterly EPS of $1.66, matching consensus, while revenue of $421.91 million slightly exceeded estimates and rose from the prior year.
• Institutional ownership stands at 81.22%, including new stakes from BlackRock and Bank of New York Mellon, while company insiders recently sold shares and collectively own 0.92% of the stock.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by stock analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $80.00 to $79.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "market perform" rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price objective would suggest a potential upside of 8.56% from the company's previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on HWC. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research cut Hancock Whitney from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Stephens lowered their price target on Hancock Whitney from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Hancock Whitney from $87.00 to $86.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $84.56.

Hancock Whitney Trading Down 1.8%

HWC traded down $1.36 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $72.77. The stock had a trading volume of 467,274 shares, compared to its average volume of 862,240. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $74.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.29 and a beta of 0.97. Hancock Whitney has a 1-year low of $55.11 and a 1-year high of $80.13.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The company reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 21.81% and a return on equity of 11.36%. The company had revenue of $421.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $421.75 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney will post 6.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Emory L. Mayfield, Jr. sold 4,990 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.40, for a total value of $381,236.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 15,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,189,166. The trade was a 24.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Achary sold 22,694 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.18, for a total transaction of $1,728,828.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 44,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,364,108.80. The trade was a 33.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the second quarter valued at about $814,839,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 0.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,790,954 shares of the company's stock worth $304,652,000 after acquiring an additional 21,655 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 16.4% during 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 in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney during the second quarter valued at approximately $55,605,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney during the second quarter valued at approximately $40,112,000. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Hancock Whitney

Here are the key news stories impacting Hancock Whitney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hancock Whitney reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.66 per share, up from $1.49 a year earlier, while revenue reached $421.91 million, slightly above the $421.75 million consensus estimate. Hancock Whitney Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Net margin was 21.81% and return on equity was 11.36%, indicating continued profitability and solid returns. The earnings presentation and call emphasized management’s operating execution and resilience. Hancock Whitney Q3 Results Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS met the broader consensus estimate of $1.66, though it represented only a modest beat versus Zacks’ $1.65 estimate. The results therefore provide limited evidence of an earnings surprise capable of driving a major near-term revaluation. Hancock Whitney Earnings Flash
• Negative Sentiment: Hancock Whitney separately reported total net charge-offs for the quarter. Although the provided report does not specify the amount, the disclosure may focus investor attention on loan-credit quality and future provisioning needs. Hancock Whitney Reports Third-Quarter Net Charge-Offs

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, businesses, and institutions through branches and digital banking channels.

Its products and services include checking and savings accounts, consumer and commercial lending, residential mortgages, credit cards, treasury and cash management services, and online and mobile banking.

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