Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) Shares Sold by Hennessy Advisors Inc.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. reduced its position in shares of Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 20.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,000 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $1,469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Hancock Whitney by 554.6% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 707 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1,132.1% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 998 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 917 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth $65,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 115.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,240 shares of the company's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 664 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter valued at about $92,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ HWC traded up $0.43 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $53.61. The company had a trading volume of 765,126 shares, compared to its average volume of 606,192. Hancock Whitney Corporation has a 52-week low of $43.90 and a 52-week high of $62.40. The stock has a market cap of $4.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.89 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.87.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 11.43% and a net margin of 23.15%. The company had revenue of $367.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $368.12 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Hancock Whitney Corporation will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.21%.

Insider Activity

In other Hancock Whitney news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens dropped 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. DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $69.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $62.00 price target (down previously from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.25.

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.