GAMMA Investing LLC Buys 64,462 Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 11,191.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 65,038 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 64,462 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.08% of Hancock Whitney worth $34,110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,393 shares of the company's stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Hancock Whitney by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 12,845 shares of the company's stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC bought a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter worth approximately $208,000. Trust Point Inc. boosted its stake in Hancock Whitney by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 6,578 shares of the company's stock worth $360,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares during the period. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 13,831 shares of the company's stock worth $757,000 after acquiring an additional 1,570 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Hancock Whitney

In other 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 transaction of $40,299.42. Following 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Hancock Whitney from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stephens decreased their price target on Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Hancock Whitney from $69.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $70.00 price target (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $61.25.

Hancock Whitney Trading Up 2.4%

HWC stock traded up $1.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $54.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 512,877 shares, compared to its average volume of 598,099. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.16. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 1 year low of $43.60 and a 1 year high of $62.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.32 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, topping 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 business had revenue of $367.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $368.12 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. Hancock Whitney's payout ratio is 33.21%.

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.