Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $72.00 price target (up from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.56.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of Hancock Whitney stock opened at $56.42 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.69 and a beta of 1.27. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $57.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.29. Hancock Whitney has a 1-year low of $41.56 and a 1-year high of $62.40.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its 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 return on equity of 11.56% and a net margin of 22.40%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.26 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. This is a boost from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.09%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $251,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in Hancock Whitney by 7.3% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 9,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $510,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments bought a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,445,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 179.7% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 26,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,347,000 after purchasing an additional 16,916 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 20.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 31,687 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,621,000 after purchasing an additional 5,441 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.