Zacks Research Boosts Earnings Estimates for Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report issued on Tuesday, February 11th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $1.38 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.25. The consensus estimate for Hancock Whitney's current full-year earnings is $5.43 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hancock Whitney's Q3 2025 earnings at $1.45 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.48 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.44 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.43 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.43 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $5.60 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.29 EPS.

HWC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $72.00 target price (up previously from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded Hancock Whitney from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hancock Whitney has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.56.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Hancock Whitney stock traded down $0.20 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $59.93. 585,716 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 668,415. 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 firm's 50 day moving average price is $57.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.35 and a beta of 1.27. Hancock Whitney has a 1 year low of $41.56 and a 1 year high of $62.40.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 posted $1.26 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 9,854 shares of the company's stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,358 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,221,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 12,845 shares of the company's stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,581 shares of the company's stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This is a boost from Hancock Whitney's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.00%. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.30%.

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.