GAMMA Investing LLC Increases Holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 11,191.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 65,038 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 64,462 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC owned about 0.08% of Hancock Whitney worth $34,110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 554.6% in 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. GeoWealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth about $92,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in Hancock Whitney by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,911 shares of the company's stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth about $138,000. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of the business'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 sale, the director now owns 23,019 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,106,983.71. The trade was a 3.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $70.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens reduced their target price on Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $62.00 target price (down from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Hancock Whitney from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.25.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

HWC stock traded down $0.88 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $53.24. 536,273 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 596,765. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $52.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.20. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 12 month low of $43.60 and a 12 month high of $62.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.08 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.21%.

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.