Invesco Ltd. Sells 20,653 Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Invesco Ltd. lessened its stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 455,010 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,653 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned about 0.53% of Hancock Whitney worth $24,898,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HWC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Hancock Whitney by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 551,636 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,227,000 after purchasing an additional 96,092 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth $1,096,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,228,710 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,235,000 after buying an additional 73,875 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its position in Hancock Whitney by 135.4% during the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 12,981 shares of the company's stock valued at $710,000 after acquiring an additional 7,466 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inman Jager Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth about $696,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Up 3.7 %

HWC traded up $1.78 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $49.96. 619,820 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 580,797. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $52.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a PE ratio of 9.46 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 1 year low of $43.60 and a 1 year high of $62.40.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.10. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 11.56%. The business had revenue of $367.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $368.12 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.09, for a total transaction of $40,299.42. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 23,019 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,106,983.71. This trade represents a 3.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens cut their target price on Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $69.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $70.00 price target (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Raymond James reissued a "strong-buy" rating and set a $62.00 price objective (down previously from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $60.56.

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.