Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates for Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Hancock Whitney in a research note issued on Tuesday, March 17th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $1.42 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.41. Zacks Research 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 Q2 2026 earnings at $1.49 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.58 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.61 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $6.10 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.61 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.63 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.65 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.69 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.58 EPS.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup boosted their target price on Hancock Whitney from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Barclays assumed coverage on Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $76.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.63.

Hancock Whitney Trading Down 1.4%

Hancock Whitney stock opened at $60.96 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.73 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Hancock Whitney has a 52 week low of $43.90 and a 52 week high of $75.43.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.01. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 24.05% and a return on equity of 11.16%. The company had revenue of $81.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $391.63 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.40 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Channing Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at about $80,246,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the 2nd quarter worth about $60,224,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 18,614.2% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 535,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,071,000 after purchasing an additional 532,180 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 134.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 909,460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,941,000 after purchasing an additional 521,261 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 126,754.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 457,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,671,000 after purchasing an additional 457,583 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is an increase from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is 35.21%.

Key Stories Impacting Hancock Whitney

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised a string of near‑term and FY EPS estimates across Q1–Q4 2026 and Q1–Q4 2027 and boosted FY2026 to $6.10 and FY2027 to $6.58, citing better earnings visibility; Zacks carries a “Strong‑Buy” rating — this is supportive for HWC’s forward earnings thesis. Zacks upgrades and estimates (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: A separate roundup shows analysts’ consensus recommendations skew positive (average “Buy”), which can underpin demand if the broader market stabilizes. Hancock Whitney Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite Zacks’ higher forecasts, the wider consensus EPS noted in reports remains around $5.53 for the current year — a gap investors should watch as estimates converge or diverge ahead of quarterly results. Consensus estimates (MarketBeat)

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.