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

Key Points

• Consensus "Buy": Ten brokerages covering Hancock Whitney give it a consensus Buy rating (seven Buy, two Strong Buy, one Hold) with an average 12‑month price target of about $75.63.
• Recent results and payout: Hancock Whitney reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter (above the $1.48 estimate), has a market cap of $5.48 billion and a P/E of 11.84, and recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.50 ( $2.00 annual, a 3.0% yield; payout ratio 35.21%).
• Analyst/ownership activity: Several firms (including Raymond James, Piper Sandler and DA Davidson) raised price targets into the mid‑$70s ($76–$79) while institutional ownership is high at 81.22%; an insider (Christopher S. Ziluca) sold 5,227 shares in January.

Shares of Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Buy" from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $75.6250.

HWC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays started coverage on Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $76.00 price target for the company. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of HWC stock opened at $67.23 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 1.02. Hancock Whitney has a fifty-two week low of $45.21 and a fifty-two week high of $75.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $66.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.93.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.01. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 24.05% and a return on equity of 11.16%. The firm had revenue of $81.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $391.63 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.40 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Hancock Whitney will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Hancock Whitney's payout ratio is 35.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hancock Whitney news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 5,227 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.57, for a total transaction of $358,415.39. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 33,301 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,283,449.57. The trade was a 13.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Hancock Whitney by 44.4% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 283,722 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,764,000 after acquiring an additional 87,227 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,169,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 348,993 shares of the company's stock worth $21,850,000 after acquiring an additional 72,433 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 126,754.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 457,944 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,671,000 after purchasing an additional 457,583 shares during the period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group bought a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the third quarter valued at approximately $23,457,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Corporation NASDAQ: HWC is a regional financial services company headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi. The firm was established in April 2019 through the merger of Hancock Holding Company and Whitney Holding Corporation, each of which traced its roots to the late 19th century. This combination created one of the largest bank holding companies in the Gulf South region, with a network of branches serving both urban and rural communities.

The company's core business activities include commercial banking, retail banking and wealth management services.

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