Stephens Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Stock Price

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) had its target price reduced by analysts at Stephens from $73.00 to $69.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Stephens’ price target points to a potential upside of 41.83% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $72.00 target price (up from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.56.

Hancock Whitney Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HWC opened at $48.65 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.19 billion, a PE ratio of 9.21 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $55.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Hancock Whitney has a 12-month low of $42.51 and a 12-month high of $62.40.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.10. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 11.56%. The company had revenue of $367.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $368.12 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney will post 5.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in Hancock Whitney by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 9,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,221,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Hancock Whitney by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 12,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $703,000 after buying an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Hancock Whitney by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Hancock Whitney

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.