Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Sees Strong Trading Volume - Should You Buy?

Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 435,410 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 14% from the previous session's volume of 506,750 shares.The stock last traded at $51.78 and had previously closed at $51.98.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HWC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $74.00 price objective (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.56.

Remove Ads

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

The company's fifty day moving average is $56.87 and its 200 day moving average is $55.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market cap of $4.50 billion, a PE ratio of 9.91 and a beta of 1.24.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 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 firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This is a boost from Hancock Whitney's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. Hancock Whitney's payout ratio is 34.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HWC. 111 Capital acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $236,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 94.7% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,532 shares of the company's stock valued at $522,000 after buying an additional 4,636 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter worth $3,841,000. GTS Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth about $339,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth about $231,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.22% of the company's stock.

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.