Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eight analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities 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. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $61.25.

A number of research firms have issued reports on HWC. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Hancock Whitney from $69.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens reduced 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. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $62.00 price target (down from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $70.00 price target (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, April 16th.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

Hancock Whitney stock traded up $1.58 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $55.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 444,763 shares, compared to its average volume of 595,791. Hancock Whitney has a 52 week low of $43.60 and a 52 week high of $62.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $52.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.38. The stock has a market cap of $4.78 billion, a PE ratio of 10.57 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $367.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $368.12 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hancock Whitney will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.91% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney in the first quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 19.2% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 75,510 shares of the company's stock worth $3,960,000 after buying an additional 12,162 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 951.9% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 123,812 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,494,000 after acquiring an additional 112,042 shares during the period. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 1st quarter valued at $425,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.