Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Shares Bought by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 17.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,321,280 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 193,028 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 1.54% of Hancock Whitney worth $72,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 149.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 321,196 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,435,000 after buying an additional 192,295 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Hancock Whitney by 21.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 551,636 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,227,000 after acquiring an additional 96,092 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Hancock Whitney by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 160,369 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,811,000 after acquiring an additional 6,506 shares in the last quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC grew its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC now owns 36,137 shares of the company's stock worth $1,977,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 17,764 shares of the company's stock worth $972,000 after purchasing an additional 1,334 shares in the last quarter. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

HWC traded up $1.37 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $54.08. 424,967 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 585,068. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $51.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.24 and a beta of 0.99. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 1-year low of $43.60 and a 1-year high of $62.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.10. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.56% and a net margin of 22.40%. The firm had revenue of $367.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $368.12 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on HWC shares. StockNews.com upgraded Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Hancock Whitney from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $69.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Raymond James reissued a "strong-buy" rating and set a $62.00 target price (down previously from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Stephens cut their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.56.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

In related news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.09, for a total value of $40,299.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 23,019 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,106,983.71. This represents a 3.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.91% 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.