Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Price Target Cut to $80.00 by Analysts at DA Davidson

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) had its target price trimmed by DA Davidson from $86.00 to $80.00 in a research note released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on HWC. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. 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. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stephens cut their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.95.

Hancock Whitney Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ:HWC traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $65.28. The stock had a trading volume of 2,907,785 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,138,428. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Hancock Whitney has a 1-year low of $55.76 and a 1-year high of $80.13. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.03. The company has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a PE ratio of 13.13 and a beta of 0.98.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 20th. The company reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 20.51% and a return on equity of 11.65%. The company had revenue of $421.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $421.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Hancock Whitney will post 6.42 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 4th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 4th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Hancock Whitney’s payout ratio is presently 40.24%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Emory L. Mayfield, Jr. sold 4,990 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.40, for a total value of $381,236.00. Following the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HWC. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 26.0% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $74,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Hancock Whitney

These are some of the HWC stories that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson maintained a Buy rating, despite reducing its price target from $86 to $80. The revised target still implies 22.5% upside from the cited $65.28 share price. DA Davidson ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Hancock Whitney agreed to acquire Trustmark in an all-stock transaction valued at about $3.2 billion. The combination could expand the bank’s scale, but investors are assessing whether the potential benefits outweigh dilution and execution risks. Hancock Whitney to buy Trustmark in $3.2B deal
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler cut its rating from Overweight to Neutral and lowered its target from $88 to $71.50, signaling reduced confidence in near-term upside. Piper Sandler ratings

About Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney is a bank holding company headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi, whose principal subsidiary is Hancock Whitney Bank. The company provides personal and business banking services, including deposit accounts, loans, treasury management, mortgage lending, and online and mobile banking. It also offers wealth management, trust, and investment services. The bank serves customers across the Gulf South, with operations in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, and Texas. Its history includes roots in Hancock County Bank, founded in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, in 1899, and Whitney National Bank, established in New Orleans in 1883.