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

Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nine research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research 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 analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $62.56.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HWC shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Hancock Whitney from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Raymond James reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $72.00 price target (up previously from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HWC. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 170.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,662 shares of the company's stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 1,677 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA bought a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter valued at about $202,000. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,818,000. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 15,915 shares of the company's stock valued at $814,000 after purchasing an additional 1,480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter valued at about $72,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HWC traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $59.93. 585,716 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 663,457. Hancock Whitney has a one year low of $41.56 and a one year high of $62.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.16 billion, a PE ratio of 11.35 and a beta of 1.27. The business's 50 day moving average is $57.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.12. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 11.56%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.26 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. This is a boost from Hancock Whitney's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.