Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the nine analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $56.89.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $57.00 to $56.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 20th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Hancock Whitney from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th.

Insider Transactions at Hancock Whitney

In related news, Director Carleton Richard Wilkins sold 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.95, for a total transaction of $40,760.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,900 shares in the company, valued at $810,105. This trade represents a 4.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 763 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the director now owns 23,518 shares in the company, valued at $1,232,343.20. This represents a 3.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 27,994 shares of company stock valued at $1,593,710. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 268.9% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 985 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 718 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of Hancock Whitney stock traded down $0.40 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $59.94. 251,244 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 509,248. Hancock Whitney has a 1 year low of $39.38 and a 1 year high of $62.40. The stock's fifty day moving average is $54.15 and its 200 day moving average is $50.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $5.16 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 1.25.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.02. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.47% and a net margin of 19.30%. The business had revenue of $525.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $363.54 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.87%.

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.