Squarepoint Ops LLC Buys Shares of 43,607 Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 43,607 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,386,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.05% of Hancock Whitney at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 149.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 321,196 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,435,000 after buying an additional 192,295 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 14.2% in the fourth 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 period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1,987.7% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 51,420 shares of the company's stock worth $2,814,000 after purchasing an additional 48,957 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 12,845 shares of the company's stock worth $703,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HWC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and set a $62.00 target price (down previously from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $69.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Stephens decreased their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three research 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.25.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

In other news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 23,019 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,106,983.71. This represents a 3.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hancock Whitney Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ HWC traded down $0.33 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $54.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 564,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 597,845. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. 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 $4.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.38 and a beta of 1.05. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $52.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.24.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.10. The company 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.