Bayesian Capital Management LP Invests $345,000 in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 6,307 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $345,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter worth $54,605,000. Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth $12,937,000. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 69.5% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 544,471 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,795,000 after acquiring an additional 223,275 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,321,280 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,300,000 after purchasing an additional 193,028 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,097,563 shares of the company's stock worth $552,539,000 after purchasing an additional 181,706 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

HWC traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $54.75. 544,125 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 585,675. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $51.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.37 and a beta of 1.05. Hancock Whitney Co. has a one year low of $43.60 and a one year high of $62.40.

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 business had revenue of $367.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $368.12 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney's payout ratio is 33.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on HWC. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $70.00 target price (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens reduced their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $69.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and set a $62.00 price objective (down previously from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Hancock Whitney currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.09, for a total transaction of $40,299.42. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 23,019 shares in the company, valued at $1,106,983.71. This represents a 3.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hancock Whitney Company 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.