DA Davidson Equities Analysts Boost Earnings Estimates for Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) – Research analysts at DA Davidson increased their FY2024 EPS estimates for shares of Hancock Whitney in a report issued on Wednesday, April 17th. DA Davidson analyst G. Tenner now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $4.95 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $4.90. DA Davidson currently has a “Buy” rating and a $57.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Hancock Whitney’s current full-year earnings is $4.80 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Hancock Whitney’s FY2025 earnings at $5.21 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on HWC. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $52.00 price objective (down from $55.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut shares of Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 31st. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $50.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.75.

Hancock Whitney Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Hancock Whitney stock opened at $42.73 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Hancock Whitney has a 1 year low of $31.02 and a 1 year high of $49.65. The company has a market capitalization of $3.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.96 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $43.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $42.43.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 16th. The company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.07. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 19.07% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The company had revenue of $308.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $355.51 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.65 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HWC. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its stake in Hancock Whitney by 136.8% during the second quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,011 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 584 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in Hancock Whitney by 81.0% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 760 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the period. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Hancock Whitney by 151.1% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 904 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 544 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hancock Whitney news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 3,636 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total value of $158,166.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 35,285 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,534,897.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Hancock Whitney news, insider Joseph S. Exnicios sold 9,857 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.15, for a total value of $464,757.55. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 30,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,421,996.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 3,636 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total transaction of $158,166.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 35,285 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,534,897.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 31,183 shares of company stock valued at $1,450,992. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 4th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.81%. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.97%.

Hancock Whitney Company Profile

Hancock Whitney Corporation operates as the financial holding company for Hancock Whitney Bank that provides traditional and online banking services to commercial, small business, and retail customers. It offers various transaction and savings deposit products consisting of brokered deposits, time deposits, and money market accounts; treasury management services, secured and unsecured loan products including revolving credit facilities, and letters of credit and similar financial guarantees; and trust and investment management services to retirement plans, corporations, and individuals, and investment advisory and brokerage products.