Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Price Target Lowered to $85.00 at Stephens

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) had its price target reduced by Stephens from $86.00 to $85.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. Stephens currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

HWC has been the subject of several other reports. Benchmark initiated coverage on Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $84.00 price target for the company. Hovde Group cut Hancock Whitney from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $74.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, June 12th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research raised Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $83.56.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

Shares of HWC stock opened at $76.40 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Hancock Whitney has a 12-month low of $54.05 and a 12-month high of $79.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $71.60 and a 200-day moving average of $68.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.98 and a beta of 0.95.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.55. The business had revenue of $403.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $398.89 million. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.35% and a net margin of 21.81%.The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.37 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney will post 6.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is 41.07%.

Insider Activity

In other Hancock Whitney news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 417 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.16, for a total value of $28,005.72. Following the sale, the director owned 25,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,683,432.56. This trade represents a 1.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 3,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 0.6% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 24,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,555,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 1.9% during the first quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $539,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 31.0% during the first quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Hancock Whitney

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

• Positive Sentiment: Hancock Whitney reported Q2 earnings of $1.55 per share, matching estimates, while revenue of about $403.6 million topped expectations, helped by stronger net interest income, fee income, lower provisions, and loan growth. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s earnings call and presentation highlighted strong EPS growth, which may reinforce confidence in the bank’s operating momentum. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Hancock Whitney received regulatory approval for its OFB acquisition, a potential strategic catalyst that could expand its footprint and earnings base over time. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target to $80 from $78 but kept a “market perform” rating, signaling limited near-term upside despite the higher valuation view. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Stephens trimmed its price target to $85 from $86 while maintaining an “overweight” rating, suggesting analysts remain constructive overall even as they adjust expectations. Article title

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.