Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Hits New 52-Week High at $49.67

Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $49.67 and last traded at $49.48, with a volume of 66006 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $47.61.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HWC. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $48.00 to $47.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $50.00 price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.50.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $46.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.32 billion, a PE ratio of 11.10 and a beta of 1.29.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $354.02 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $353.15 million. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 19.07% and a return on equity of 11.89%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 5th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hancock Whitney

In other Hancock Whitney news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.62, for a total transaction of $59,306.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 23,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,094,058.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Cecil W. Knight, Jr. sold 844 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.82, for a total transaction of $39,516.08. Following the sale, the insider now owns 58,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,755,029.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.62, for a total transaction of $59,306.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 23,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,094,058.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 0.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,226,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $424,801,000 after purchasing an additional 34,152 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,749,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,786,000 after purchasing an additional 249,944 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 7.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,184,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,822,000 after purchasing an additional 142,465 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,087,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,847,000 after purchasing an additional 48,174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,846,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

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.