Q2 EPS Estimates for Hancock Whitney Increased by Analyst

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) – Zacks Research upped their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for Hancock Whitney in a research note issued on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $1.47 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.41. 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 Q3 2026 earnings at $1.56 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.59 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $6.04 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.60 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.66 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $6.82 EPS.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $81.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $391.63 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.40 earnings per share.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on HWC. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays began coverage on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $76.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.25.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Hancock Whitney stock opened at $71.41 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57 and a beta of 1.05. Hancock Whitney has a 12-month low of $43.90 and a 12-month high of $75.43. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.77.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of HWC. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 44.4% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 283,722 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,764,000 after purchasing an additional 87,227 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the second quarter worth $410,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 3.5% during the second quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 145,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,359,000 after buying an additional 4,873 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its position in Hancock Whitney by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 13,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $776,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 83.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 850,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,827,000 after acquiring an additional 385,784 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity 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 owned by insiders.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.69%.

Hancock Whitney News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑ and mid‑term EPS forecasts for HWC (Q2–Q4 2026, Q2 & Q4 2027 and FY2026/FY2028), bumped FY2026 to $6.04 from $5.81 and maintained a “Strong‑Buy” rating — a clear positive catalyst for forward earnings expectations. Zacks research upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reports for early February show “0” shares and NaN changes (days‑to‑cover = 0.0), indicating a likely data/reporting error rather than a meaningful change in short positioning — so no clear bearish pressure from shorts based on these filings. Short interest data

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.