Geode Capital Management LLC Sells 19,475 Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Geode Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,130,173 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,475 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.48% of Hancock Whitney worth $116,587,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HWC. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in Hancock Whitney by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,911 shares of the company's stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at $138,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,581 shares of the company's stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of Hancock Whitney stock traded up $0.15 on Monday, hitting $46.76. The company had a trading volume of 39,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 573,070. Hancock Whitney Co. has a twelve month low of $41.56 and a twelve month high of $62.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $53.77 and a 200-day moving average of $55.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.86 and a beta of 0.99.

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Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last released its 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 return on equity of 11.56% and a net margin of 22.40%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.26 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This is a boost from Hancock Whitney's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on HWC shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $74.00 price target (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Raymond James reissued a "strong-buy" rating and set a $72.00 price objective (up from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.56.

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.