Hancock Whitney Corporation $HWC Stock: Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Boosts Holdings

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its position in shares of Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) by 2.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 374,132 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,543 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $26,952,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the third quarter worth approximately $556,000. Martin Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the third quarter valued at approximately $220,000. Cim Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 7.3% during the second quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 20.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 17,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,303,000 after acquiring an additional 2,987 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,794,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael Achary sold 22,694 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.18, for a total transaction of $1,728,828.92. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 44,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,364,108.80. The trade was a 33.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Emory L. Mayfield, Jr. sold 4,990 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.40, for a total transaction of $381,236.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 15,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,166. This represents a 24.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Trading Up 1.6%

NASDAQ:HWC opened at $73.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Hancock Whitney Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $54.05 and a fifty-two week high of $80.13. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $74.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.07. The stock has a market cap of $5.86 billion, a PE ratio of 14.32 and a beta of 0.97.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55. The company had revenue of $403.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $398.89 million. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.36% and a net margin of 21.81%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.37 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney Corporation will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 4th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $87.00 target price on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $84.56.

Hancock Whitney Profile

Hancock Whitney Corporation is a financial services company headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi, and the parent company of Hancock Whitney Bank. Founded in 1883, the bank has grown from a community banking institution in coastal Mississippi into a regional bank serving individuals, businesses and institutions across the Gulf South.

Hancock Whitney provides personal and business deposit accounts, consumer and commercial loans, mortgages, credit and debit cards, online and mobile banking, and treasury management services.