Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) Given Consensus Rating of "Buy" by Brokerages

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Buy" by the seven analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $63.29.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HWC. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $62.00 price objective (down previously from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. DA Davidson lowered 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. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $70.00 target price (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

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 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 directly owned 23,019 shares in the company, 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. Corporate insiders own 0.91% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 29.2% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $790,000 after purchasing an additional 2,921 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the second quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the second quarter valued at approximately $264,000. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. bought a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the second quarter valued at approximately $179,000. Finally, Balefire LLC bought a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the second quarter valued at approximately $415,000. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hancock Whitney Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:HWC opened at $61.84 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 1.05. Hancock Whitney has a 1-year low of $43.90 and a 1-year high of $62.40. The company's fifty day moving average is $56.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $367.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $368.12 million. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 23.15% and a return on equity of 11.43%. Equities analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.21%.

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.

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