Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates for Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Hancock Whitney in a report released on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will earn $1.41 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.40. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. 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 2027 earnings at $1.58 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.62 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.47 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays started coverage on Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $76.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $75.25.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of HWC stock opened at $70.61 on Thursday. Hancock Whitney has a 12 month low of $43.90 and a 12 month high of $75.43. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $67.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.83. The firm has a market cap of $5.90 billion, a PE ratio of 12.43 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $81.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.63 million. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.16% and a net margin of 24.05%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.40 EPS.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. This is a boost from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Hancock Whitney’s payout ratio is presently 31.69%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hancock Whitney news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 5,227 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.57, for a total transaction of $358,415.39. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 33,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,283,449.57. This trade represents a 13.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HWC. Amundi bought a new position in Hancock Whitney during the 1st quarter worth $50,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 51,664 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,710,000 after acquiring an additional 2,255 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 22.9% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $197,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Hancock Whitney by 4.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 287,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,078,000 after acquiring an additional 11,551 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in Hancock Whitney by 951.9% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 123,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,494,000 after purchasing an additional 112,042 shares in the last quarter. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Hancock Whitney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised near‑term and longer‑term earnings estimates across multiple quarters and fiscal years — including FY2026 to $6.04 (from $5.81), FY2027 to $6.47 (from $6.26), and FY2028 to $6.82 — and lifted several quarterly EPS forecasts (examples: Q1 2026 to $1.41; Q1 2027 to $1.58; Q3 2027 to $1.62). Zacks maintains a “Strong‑Buy” rating on HWC, which is a constructive signal for forward earnings expectations. MarketBeat HWC
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest entries in the feed report a “large increase” but show 0 shares short and “NaN” changes versus prior reads — indicating a data error or reporting anomaly. Given the zero reported short volume and an effectively 0.0 days short‑interest ratio, this item does not provide meaningful evidence of rising bearish bets. MarketBeat HWC

Hancock Whitney Company Profile

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ: HWC) is a regional financial services company headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi. The firm was established in April 2019 through the merger of Hancock Holding Company and Whitney Holding Corporation, each of which traced its roots to the late 19th century. This combination created one of the largest bank holding companies in the Gulf South region, with a network of branches serving both urban and rural communities.

The company’s core business activities include commercial banking, retail banking and wealth management services.