Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Given “Overweight” Rating at Stephens

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reissued by Stephens in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $74.00 price target on the stock, up from their prior price target of $68.00. Stephens’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 23.71% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.38.

Hancock Whitney Stock Down 1.5 %

Hancock Whitney stock traded down $0.92 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $59.82. 411,994 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 670,907. Hancock Whitney has a 1-year low of $41.19 and a 1-year high of $62.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $57.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.73. The stock has a market cap of $5.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.39 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.12. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 11.47%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.26 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John M. Hairston sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.44, for a total transaction of $1,069,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 254,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,099,305.44. This represents a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 763 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.40, for a total value of $39,981.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 23,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,232,343.20. The trade was a 3.14 % decrease in their position. 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 23.6% during the 4th quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 19,670 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,076,000 after buying an additional 3,755 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1,987.7% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 51,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,814,000 after acquiring an additional 48,957 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,393 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the period. Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth about $205,000. Finally, Client 1ST Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter worth about $272,000. 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.