Zacks Research Forecasts Higher Earnings for Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Hancock Whitney in a research note issued on Monday, March 24th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $1.40 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.38. The consensus estimate for Hancock Whitney’s current full-year earnings is $5.53 per share.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.12. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.56% and a net margin of 22.40%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.26 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on HWC. StockNews.com upgraded Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $72.00 target price (up from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hancock Whitney currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $62.56.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

HWC stock opened at $51.86 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $4.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.82 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $55.32. Hancock Whitney has a 1 year low of $41.56 and a 1 year high of $62.40.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. 111 Capital bought a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at about $236,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 94.7% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,000 after buying an additional 4,636 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth $3,841,000. GTS Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at $339,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new position in Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter valued at $231,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Hancock Whitney’s payout ratio is currently 34.09%.

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.