Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. Has $31.07 Million Stock Holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 36.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 607,239 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 163,438 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney accounts for about 1.6% of Basswood Capital Management L.L.C.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. owned about 0.71% of Hancock Whitney worth $31,072,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Hancock Whitney by 22.1% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 59,636 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,746,000 after purchasing an additional 10,810 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in Hancock Whitney during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 268.9% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $520,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the period. Finally, DMC Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 26.0% in the 2nd quarter. DMC Group LLC now owns 5,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 1,140 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of HWC stock opened at $59.38 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market capitalization of $5.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.31 and a beta of 1.25. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 12-month low of $40.79 and a 12-month high of $62.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $54.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $50.94.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.02. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 11.47%. The company had revenue of $525.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $363.54 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.87%.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

In related news, CEO John M. Hairston sold 18,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.44, for a total value of $1,069,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 254,026 shares in the company, valued at $15,099,305.44. The trade was a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael M. Achary sold 8,431 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.55, for a total value of $443,049.05. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 54,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,857,669. The trade was a 13.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 27,994 shares of company stock valued at $1,593,710 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. DA Davidson raised their target price on Hancock Whitney from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $57.00 to $56.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.89.

Hancock Whitney 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.