Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Shares Bought by Two Sigma Advisers LP

Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 18.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,600 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,700 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $1,674,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 149.2% in 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 during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,393 shares of the company's stock valued at $174,000 after buying an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1,987.7% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 51,420 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,814,000 after buying an additional 48,957 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 12,845 shares of the company's stock valued at $703,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HWC traded up $0.84 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $55.12. The stock had a trading volume of 366,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 596,789. The company has a market capitalization of $4.72 billion, a PE ratio of 10.44 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $52.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 1 year low of $43.60 and a 1 year high of $62.40.

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

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $70.00 price objective (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney 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 on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stephens lowered 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 reissued a "strong-buy" rating and set a $62.00 price objective (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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.25.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

In related news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,106,983.71. This trade represents a 3.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.91% of the company's stock.

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.