Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates for Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Hancock Whitney in a research note issued to investors on Monday, March 24th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will earn $1.40 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.38. The consensus estimate for Hancock Whitney's current full-year earnings is $5.53 per share.

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

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Hancock Whitney Stock Up 0.5 %

HWC stock traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $52.14. 128,818 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 550,288. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.85 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $56.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.41. Hancock Whitney has a 12-month low of $41.56 and a 12-month high of $62.40.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 7.0% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 32,730 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,675,000 after acquiring an additional 2,134 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Hancock Whitney by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,154,835 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,093,000 after purchasing an additional 46,622 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 149,118 shares of the company's stock worth $7,630,000 after buying an additional 20,213 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 213.3% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 17,963 shares of the company's stock valued at $919,000 after buying an additional 12,229 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney's payout ratio is currently 34.09%.

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.