Zacks Research Predicts Higher Earnings for Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) – Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Hancock Whitney in a research note issued on Thursday, April 3rd. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $1.41 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.40. The consensus estimate for Hancock Whitney’s current full-year earnings is $5.53 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hancock Whitney’s Q1 2026 earnings at $1.41 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $5.74 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $5.74 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.48 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.48 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $6.54 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.54 EPS.

HWC has been the subject of several other 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 upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $72.00 price objective (up previously from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.56.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HWC opened at $46.05 on Friday. Hancock Whitney has a 12 month low of $41.56 and a 12 month high of $62.40. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $3.97 billion, a PE ratio of 8.72 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $55.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.35.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 EPS 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.26 earnings per share.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HWC. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 213.3% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 17,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $919,000 after purchasing an additional 12,229 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Hancock Whitney by 201.7% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 51,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,657,000 after buying an additional 34,719 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 19,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $973,000 after acquiring an additional 871 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 6.8% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 246,483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,613,000 after acquiring an additional 15,703 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 9.1% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 10,266 shares of the company’s stock worth $525,000 after acquiring an additional 857 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.91%. Hancock Whitney’s payout ratio is currently 34.09%.

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.