Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Monday, December 29th. 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. Barclays initiated coverage on Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $76.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $75.63.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

Hancock Whitney stock opened at $62.86 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Hancock Whitney has a 1 year low of $43.90 and a 1 year high of $75.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $68.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.80.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.01. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 24.05% and a return on equity of 11.16%. The business had revenue of $81.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.63 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.40 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 value of $358,415.39. Following the transaction, the insider owned 33,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,283,449.57. The trade was a 13.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 929.5% in the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 453 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 627 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hancock Whitney

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.