Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the nine research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $75.25.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HWC opened at $67.42 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Hancock Whitney has a 12-month low of $43.90 and a 12-month high of $71.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.87 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $64.62 and a 200 day moving average of $61.87.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $81.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.63 million. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 24.05% and a return on equity of 11.16%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.40 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Hancock Whitney

In other news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 5,227 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.57, for a total transaction of $358,415.39. Following the sale, the insider owned 33,301 shares in the company, valued at $2,283,449.57. This trade represents a 13.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 929.5% in the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 453 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in Hancock Whitney by 67.6% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Hancock Whitney during the third quarter valued at $45,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 6,107.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 807 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 794 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi bought a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 1st quarter worth about $50,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.