Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Stock Position Reduced by Great Lakes Advisors LLC

Great Lakes Advisors LLC cut its stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 407,904 shares of the company's stock after selling 35,132 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.47% of Hancock Whitney worth $19,820,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in Hancock Whitney by 35.2% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,260 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $386,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Hancock Whitney by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,749,591 shares of the company's stock worth $230,786,000 after acquiring an additional 249,944 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Hancock Whitney by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,087,610 shares of the company's stock worth $52,847,000 after acquiring an additional 48,174 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Down 0.2 %

HWC stock traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $47.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 313,386 shares, compared to its average volume of 453,823. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.16 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 52-week low of $32.16 and a 52-week high of $49.65.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.10. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.89% and a net margin of 19.07%. The firm had revenue of $354.02 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $353.15 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 4.91 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.97%.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

In related news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 3,636 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total transaction of $158,166.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 35,285 shares in the company, valued at $1,534,897.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Hancock Whitney news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 3,636 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total transaction of $158,166.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 35,285 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,534,897.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 1,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.62, for a total transaction of $59,306.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 23,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,094,058.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,780 shares of company stock valued at $256,988 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on HWC shares. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $52.00 price target (down from $55.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $50.00 to $46.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Hancock Whitney from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $51.43.

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.