Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Shares Purchased by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 69.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 544,471 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 223,275 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $29,795,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at $138,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Hancock Whitney by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. 81.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of HWC stock opened at $48.65 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.21 and a beta of 0.99. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 1-year low of $42.51 and a 1-year high of $62.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.07.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $367.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $368.12 million. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.56% and a net margin of 22.40%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.70%. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Raymond James reissued 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. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $69.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens reduced their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.56.

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.