Quantbot Technologies LP Reduces Position in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Quantbot Technologies LP trimmed its stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 24.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,052 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,150 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $1,863,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Hancock Whitney by 149.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 321,196 shares of the company's stock worth $16,435,000 after acquiring an additional 192,295 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at $9,517,000. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 36.8% in the third quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 607,239 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,072,000 after purchasing an additional 163,438 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Hancock Whitney by 21.1% in the third 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 last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Hancock Whitney by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,228,710 shares of the company's stock worth $67,235,000 after buying an additional 73,875 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on HWC shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target 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. Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and set a $72.00 price target (up previously from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $74.00 price objective (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.56.

Hancock Whitney Stock Down 1.0 %

Hancock Whitney stock traded down $0.55 during trading on Thursday, reaching $53.55. 667,054 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 519,235. The company's 50-day moving average is $56.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.31. 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 52-week low of $41.56 and a 52-week high of $62.40. The firm has a market cap of $4.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.14 and a beta of 1.24.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 period last year, the company earned $1.26 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.09%.

Hancock Whitney 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.