Bailard Inc. Sells 6,500 Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Bailard Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 44.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,200 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,500 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.'s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $449,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in Hancock Whitney by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,911 shares of the company's stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,358 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,221,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 12,845 shares of the company's stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,581 shares of the company's stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BTC Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,121 shares of the company's stock valued at $390,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.22% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on HWC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com raised Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $72.00 target price (up previously from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $62.56.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

NASDAQ HWC traded down $0.05 on Friday, hitting $53.00. 724,002 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 500,617. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $57.69 and a 200-day moving average of $55.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 52 week low of $41.56 and a 52 week high of $62.40. The stock has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.04 and a beta of 1.24.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.12. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.56% and a net margin of 22.40%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. This is a boost from Hancock Whitney's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.09%.

Hancock Whitney Company 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.