Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Holdings in Hancock Whitney Corporation $HWC

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) by 0.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,790,954 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,655 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 5.88% of Hancock Whitney worth $304,652,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Channing Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth about $80,246,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,463,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Hancock Whitney by 18,614.2% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 535,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,071,000 after purchasing an additional 532,180 shares during the period. UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 134.3% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 909,460 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,941,000 after buying an additional 521,261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 1st quarter worth approximately $23,071,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on HWC. Hovde Group downgraded Hancock Whitney from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $74.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, June 12th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $87.00 price target on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday. Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Hancock Whitney from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hancock Whitney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $83.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hancock Whitney news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 417 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.16, for a total transaction of $28,005.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,683,432.56. This trade represents a 1.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of HWC stock opened at $76.40 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.98 and a beta of 0.95. 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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $54.05 and a fifty-two week high of $79.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.66.

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

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The business 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%.

More Hancock Whitney News

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 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.