Boston Partners Lowers Stock Holdings in Hancock Whitney Corporation $HWC

Key Points

• Boston Partners has reduced its stake in Hancock Whitney Corporation by 0.6%, owning 725,408 shares valued at approximately $37.7 million as of the end of the first quarter.
• Hancock Whitney recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.9%.
• Despite some analysts lowering their ratings, Hancock Whitney maintains a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price averaging $66.71.

Boston Partners lessened its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 0.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 725,408 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,333 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned 0.84% of Hancock Whitney worth $37,748,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HWC. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 554.6% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 707 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1,132.1% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 998 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 917 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 115.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,240 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at about $92,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of HWC stock traded down $0.11 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $60.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 623,163 shares, compared to its average volume of 656,219. The company has a market cap of $5.12 billion, a PE ratio of 11.13 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The business has a fifty day moving average of $58.77 and a 200-day moving average of $55.53. Hancock Whitney Corporation has a 52 week low of $43.90 and a 52 week high of $62.90.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $377.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $375.99 million. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 23.28%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney Corporation will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on HWC shares. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Hovde Group boosted their target price on Hancock Whitney from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered Hancock Whitney from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Hancock Whitney from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $62.00 to $63.00 in a report on Friday, July 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hancock Whitney presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.71.

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.