Sterling Capital Management LLC Acquires 36,606 Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 280.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 49,636 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 36,606 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC owned 0.06% of Hancock Whitney worth $2,716,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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Hancock Whitney Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ HWC traded up $1.06 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $48.69. The company had a trading volume of 950,445 shares, compared to its average volume of 577,536. 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 simple moving average of $53.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.13. The company has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a PE ratio of 9.22 and a beta of 0.99. Hancock Whitney Co. has a one year low of $41.56 and a one year high of $62.40.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.10. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.56% and a net margin of 22.40%. On average, equities analysts expect that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.70%. This is a boost from Hancock Whitney's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.09%.

Hancock Whitney 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.