Zacks Research Weighs in on Hancock Whitney Co.’s FY2024 Earnings (NASDAQ:HWC)

Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) – Research analysts at Zacks Research increased their FY2024 EPS estimates for Hancock Whitney in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 26th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the company will earn $4.63 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $4.52. The consensus estimate for Hancock Whitney’s current full-year earnings is $4.78 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hancock Whitney’s Q4 2024 earnings at $1.19 EPS and Q1 2025 earnings at $1.17 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial cut shares of Hancock Whitney from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $54.00 to $50.00 in a report on Friday, January 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 23rd. Stephens dropped their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $55.00 to $50.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Friday, December 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $45.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hancock Whitney has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.88.

Hancock Whitney Trading Up 5.2 %

NASDAQ:HWC opened at $45.73 on Thursday. Hancock Whitney has a 52 week low of $31.02 and a 52 week high of $49.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $43.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.74. The stock has a market cap of $3.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 1.32.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 16th. The company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.07. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 20.57% and a return on equity of 12.54%. The business had revenue of $308.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $355.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.65 earnings per share.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HWC. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Hancock Whitney by 81.0% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Hancock Whitney by 151.1% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Hancock Whitney

In other news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 3,636 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 35,285 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,534,897.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Hancock Whitney news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 3,636 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total transaction of $158,166.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 35,285 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,534,897.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph S. Exnicios sold 4,042 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.28, for a total transaction of $183,021.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 40,016 shares in the company, valued at $1,811,924.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 35,225 shares of company stock valued at $1,634,014. Corporate 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 5th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 4th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.67%.

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.