BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $1.48 Million Stock Position in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its position in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 48.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,012 shares of the company's stock after selling 24,917 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $1,478,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,096,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,265,146 shares of the company's stock valued at $69,229,000 after acquiring an additional 66,074 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,228,710 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,235,000 after acquiring an additional 73,875 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 135.4% in the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 12,981 shares of the company's stock valued at $710,000 after acquiring an additional 7,466 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inman Jager Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $696,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on HWC. Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $62.00 price target (down previously from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stephens lowered their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective 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. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $69.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.25.

Hancock Whitney Stock Down 0.4%

NASDAQ HWC opened at $56.77 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a PE ratio of 10.75 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. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $51.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

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

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hancock Whitney news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.09, for a total value of $40,299.42. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,019 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,106,983.71. This trade represents a 3.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.91% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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