Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $62.56.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price objective (up from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com downgraded Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on Hancock Whitney from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

In related news, CEO John M. Hairston sold 18,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.44, for a total value of $1,069,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 254,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,099,305.44. This trade represents a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 763 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.40, for a total value of $39,981.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 23,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,232,343.20. This trade represents a 3.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lifted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 692,387 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,429,000 after buying an additional 55,869 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 3rd quarter valued at $844,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in Hancock Whitney by 66.7% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 33,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,694,000 after acquiring an additional 13,243 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,605,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 551,636 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,227,000 after purchasing an additional 96,092 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HWC opened at $59.41 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Hancock Whitney has a 12-month low of $41.19 and a 12-month high of $62.40. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $57.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.77. The firm has a market cap of $5.11 billion, a PE ratio of 11.25 and a beta of 1.27.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.12. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.66% and a net margin of 22.40%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Hancock Whitney will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 5th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is 30.30%.

About Hancock Whitney

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.