Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Holdings Raised by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 99,349 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,194 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Hancock Whitney worth $5,436,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HWC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,097,563 shares of the company's stock valued at $552,539,000 after acquiring an additional 181,706 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,898,504 shares of the company's stock valued at $102,557,000 after purchasing an additional 12,172 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Hancock Whitney by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,228,710 shares of the company's stock worth $67,235,000 after purchasing an additional 73,875 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,605,000. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 729,741 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,533,000 after purchasing an additional 32,189 shares during the last quarter. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of HWC traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $52.28. 93,319 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 579,647. The firm has a market cap of $4.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.90 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $55.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 12-month low of $43.60 and a 12-month high of $62.40.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $367.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $368.12 million. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 11.56%. Sell-side analysts expect that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HWC has been the topic of several research reports. Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $62.00 target price (down from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. 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 report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hancock Whitney currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $60.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.09, for a total transaction of $40,299.42. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 23,019 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,106,983.71. This trade represents a 3.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.91% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hancock Whitney 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.