Trexquant Investment LP Raises Stock Position in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Trexquant Investment LP increased its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 12.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 158,744 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 17,327 shares during the quarter. Trexquant Investment LP owned 0.18% of Hancock Whitney worth $8,686,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of HWC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 21.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 551,636 shares of the company's stock worth $28,227,000 after buying an additional 96,092 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter worth about $1,096,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Hancock Whitney by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,228,710 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,235,000 after purchasing an additional 73,875 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 135.4% during the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 12,981 shares of the company's stock valued at $710,000 after purchasing an additional 7,466 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inman Jager Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at about $696,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Hancock Whitney stock traded up $3.79 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $49.99. 1,537,435 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 571,598. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.31 billion, a PE ratio of 9.47 and a beta of 0.99. 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $54.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.22. Hancock Whitney Co. has a one year low of $41.56 and a one year high of $62.40.

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Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share 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 company posted $1.26 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.