Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Purchases 3,735 Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 27.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 17,141 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,735 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $938,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HWC. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth $138,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter valued at $54,605,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 612,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,520,000 after purchasing an additional 60,935 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter worth about $246,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC grew its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 727,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,835,000 after buying an additional 35,586 shares in the last quarter. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HWC opened at $46.05 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $55.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.41. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $3.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.72 and a beta of 0.99. Hancock Whitney Co. has a one year low of $41.56 and a one year high of $62.40.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.45 dividend. This is an increase from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.91%. Hancock Whitney’s payout ratio is presently 34.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HWC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $74.00 price target (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $72.00 price target (up from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.56.

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.