Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Grows Holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,228,710 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 73,875 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.43% of Hancock Whitney worth $67,235,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC boosted its stake in Hancock Whitney by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 692,387 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,429,000 after purchasing an additional 55,869 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter worth about $844,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in Hancock Whitney by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 33,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,694,000 after purchasing an additional 13,243 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,605,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Hancock Whitney by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 551,636 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,227,000 after purchasing an additional 96,092 shares in the last quarter. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HWC opened at $49.81 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $57.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.37. Hancock Whitney Co. has a twelve month low of $41.56 and a twelve month high of $62.40. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $4.29 billion, a PE ratio of 9.43 and a beta of 1.24.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm posted $1.26 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. This is a boost from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is 34.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HWC. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price target (up previously from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $74.00 price target (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.56.

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.