Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.09, for a total value of $40,299.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,019 shares in the company, valued at $1,106,983.71. This trade represents a 3.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.
Hancock Whitney Stock Performance
HWC stock opened at $49.96 on Wednesday. Hancock Whitney Co. has a one year low of $43.60 and a one year high of $62.40. The firm has a market cap of $4.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.46 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.09.
Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $367.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $368.12 million. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 11.56%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.60%. This is an increase from Hancock Whitney's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney's payout ratio is 33.21%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Hancock Whitney by 554.6% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 707 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1,132.1% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 998 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 917 shares during the period. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at $65,000. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $62.00 price target (down from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stephens lowered their price target on Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Hancock Whitney from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com raised Hancock Whitney from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $69.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.56.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on HWC
Hancock Whitney Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by InsiderTrades.com's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@insidertrades.com.
