Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Given New $80.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Hancock Whitney’s price target from $78 to $80 while keeping a market perform rating, implying about 4.3% upside from the prior close.
• Hancock Whitney’s latest earnings met EPS expectations at $1.55 and beat revenue estimates with about $403.6 million, showing improvement from $1.37 EPS a year earlier.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive overall, with the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $82.78, even as some firms made small target adjustments.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $78.00 to $80.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "market perform" rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price objective indicates a potential upside of 4.31% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on HWC. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Hancock Whitney from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday. Stephens lowered their target price on Hancock Whitney from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Hancock Whitney from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $87.00 price target on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $82.78.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

Shares of Hancock Whitney stock traded up $0.05 on Wednesday, hitting $76.69. The company had a trading volume of 797,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 895,227. Hancock Whitney has a 52 week low of $54.05 and a 52 week high of $79.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a market cap of $6.22 billion, a PE ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.57.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.55. The firm had revenue of $403.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $398.89 million. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.20% and a net margin of 21.34%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.37 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Hancock Whitney will post 6.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hancock Whitney

In related news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 417 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.16, for a total value of $28,005.72. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,066 shares in the company, valued at $1,683,432.56. The trade was a 1.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Channing Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth about $80,246,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter worth approximately $57,463,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 18,614.2% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 535,039 shares of the company's stock worth $34,071,000 after acquiring an additional 532,180 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 134.3% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 909,460 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,941,000 after acquiring an additional 521,261 shares during the period. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $23,071,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Hancock Whitney News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hancock Whitney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hancock Whitney reported Q2 2026 EPS of $1.55, matching Wall Street estimates, while revenue of about $403.6 million came in above forecasts. The results also showed improvement from $1.37 EPS a year ago, reinforcing the bank’s earnings momentum. Hancock Whitney reports quarterly earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Hancock Whitney received regulatory approval for its OFB acquisition, which could expand the company’s footprint and add growth opportunities if integration goes smoothly. Regulatory approval for OFB acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: Stephens trimmed its price target on HWC to $85 from $86, but kept an overweight rating, signaling continued confidence despite the slightly lower valuation target.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly supportive, with the stock still carrying an average Buy rating from analysts.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also digesting the earnings call transcript and presentation for details on loan growth, margins, and capital deployment, which could shape sentiment near term.

Hancock Whitney Company Profile

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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