Zacks Research Estimates Hancock Whitney FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research expects Hancock Whitney to earn $6.45 per share in FY2026, which is slightly below the broader consensus estimate of $6.47. The firm kept a Hold rating on the stock.
• Analysts also see continued earnings growth beyond 2026, with projections of $7.23 EPS in FY2027 and $7.72 EPS in FY2028. Quarterly estimates for 2026-2027 were updated but remain fairly steady, suggesting gradual growth.
• Hancock Whitney recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.52 EPS versus $1.48 expected, while revenue came in slightly below estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, implying a 2.8% yield.

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research issued their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Hancock Whitney in a report issued on Thursday, June 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $6.45 for the year. Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Hancock Whitney's current full-year earnings is $6.47 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hancock Whitney's Q4 2026 earnings at $1.75 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.73 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.79 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.83 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.89 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $7.23 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.83 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $7.72 EPS.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.04. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 21.34% and a return on equity of 11.20%. The company had revenue of $393.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $400.01 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.38 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 19.7% on a year-over-year basis.

HWC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Hovde Group lowered Hancock Whitney from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $74.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Hancock Whitney from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Hancock Whitney from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Hancock Whitney from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $78.43.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of HWC stock opened at $72.50 on Monday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $67.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Hancock Whitney has a 52 week low of $52.93 and a 52 week high of $75.43. The firm has a market cap of $5.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.89 and a beta of 0.95.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Hancock Whitney's payout ratio is presently 41.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hancock Whitney news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 417 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.16, for a total value of $28,005.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,066 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,683,432.56. The trade was a 1.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Channing Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at $80,246,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth about $57,463,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Hancock Whitney by 18,614.2% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 535,039 shares of the company's stock worth $34,071,000 after purchasing an additional 532,180 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 134.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 909,460 shares of the company's stock worth $56,941,000 after purchasing an additional 521,261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group bought a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 3rd quarter valued at about $23,457,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Hovde Group upgraded Hancock Whitney to "hold", which can support investor confidence and help explain the stock’s upward move. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research lifted its forward earnings outlook across multiple periods, including FY2026 EPS of $6.45, FY2027 EPS of $7.23, and FY2028 EPS of $7.72, suggesting analysts see earnings growth ahead for Hancock Whitney.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research reiterated a Hold rating while updating quarterly estimates for 2026-2028, which signals cautious optimism rather than a strongly bullish thesis.
• Neutral Sentiment: The firm’s estimates for upcoming quarters were fairly steady, with Q4 2026 EPS at $1.75, Q1 2027 at $1.73, Q2 2027 at $1.79, Q3 2027 at $1.83, and Q4 2027 at $1.89, indicating a gradual earnings trajectory rather than a major surprise.

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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