UMB Bank n.a. Increases Stock Holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 1,132.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 998 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 917 shares during the quarter. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $52,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HWC. Vest Financial LLC purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 1st quarter valued at $763,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 11,191.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 65,038 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,110,000 after buying an additional 64,462 shares in the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its position in Hancock Whitney by 2.7% during the first quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 18,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $957,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Hancock Whitney by 554.6% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 707 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 111 Capital purchased a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter valued at about $236,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:HWC opened at $53.78 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 1.05. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 12-month low of $43.60 and a 12-month high of $62.40. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $53.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $367.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $368.12 million. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 11.56%. Sell-side analysts expect that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. Hancock Whitney’s payout ratio is presently 33.21%.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

In other news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.09, for a total value of $40,299.42. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 23,019 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,106,983.71. This trade represents a 3.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HWC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens dropped their target price on Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $62.00 price target (down previously from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.25.

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.