Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts have rated Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) as a "Moderate Buy," with a twelve-month target price averaging $67.63.
• Institutional investors own approximately 81.22% of Hancock Whitney's stock, with some firms increasing their holdings significantly in recent quarters.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 2.9%.

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eight analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $67.6250.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Hancock Whitney from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup upped their price target on Hancock Whitney from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Hovde Group upped their price target on Hancock Whitney from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on Hancock Whitney from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 929.5% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 453 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 554.6% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 707 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares during the period. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 6,107.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 807 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 794 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

HWC stock traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $61.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 122,239 shares, compared to its average volume of 712,433. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $60.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Hancock Whitney has a 1 year low of $43.90 and a 1 year high of $64.25. The stock has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.40 and a beta of 1.13.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.01. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 23.28%.The business had revenue of $377.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $375.99 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. Hancock Whitney's payout ratio is presently 33.15%.

Hancock Whitney Company 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.