Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Shares Sold by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,173 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,366 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $1,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter valued at $72,000. Finally, CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 170.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,662 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 1,677 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Stock Up 0.7 %

HWC stock opened at $60.27 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 1.27. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 12 month low of $41.43 and a 12 month high of $62.40. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $57.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.49.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the company posted $1.26 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on HWC shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price objective (up from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.56.

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.