Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Raymond James

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Raymond James from a "moderate buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also commented on HWC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens upgraded Hancock Whitney from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Hancock Whitney from $57.00 to $56.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. 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 stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $58.00.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

HWC traded up $1.13 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $54.38. 1,962,466 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 510,138. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Hancock Whitney has a 12 month low of $41.19 and a 12 month high of $62.40. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $52.02. The stock has a market cap of $4.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.19 and a beta of 1.27.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.02. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 11.47%. The company had revenue of $525.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $363.54 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.12 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hancock Whitney news, CEO John M. Hairston sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.44, for a total transaction of $1,069,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 254,026 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,099,305.44. This trade represents a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael M. Achary sold 8,431 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.55, for a total value of $443,049.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 54,380 shares in the company, valued at $2,857,669. This represents a 13.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 27,994 shares of company stock valued at $1,593,710 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 3rd quarter valued at $844,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 66.7% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 33,106 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,694,000 after purchasing an additional 13,243 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,605,000. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its stake in Hancock Whitney by 35.4% in the 2nd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 102,103 shares of the company's stock worth $4,884,000 after purchasing an additional 26,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the 3rd quarter worth about $508,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.