ProShare Advisors LLC Buys 8,303 Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 41.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,466 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,303 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $1,558,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HWC. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter worth $54,605,000. Foundry Partners LLC bought a new position in Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth approximately $12,937,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Hancock Whitney by 69.5% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 544,471 shares of the company's stock worth $29,795,000 after purchasing an additional 223,275 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in 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. boosted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,097,563 shares of the company's stock valued at $552,539,000 after purchasing an additional 181,706 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Down 1.1%

NASDAQ HWC traded down $0.60 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $54.25. 509,125 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 596,398. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 52-week low of $43.60 and a 52-week high of $62.40. 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $55.43. The firm has a market cap of $4.65 billion, a PE ratio of 10.27 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney's payout ratio is currently 33.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HWC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $70.00 price target (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $62.00 target price (down 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 assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hancock Whitney currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.25.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

In other news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 23,019 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,106,983.71. The trade was a 3.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hancock Whitney 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.