Emory Mayfield, Jr. Sells 4,990 Shares of Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Stock

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) insider Emory Mayfield, Jr. sold 4,990 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider directly owned 15,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,166. The trade was a 24.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

HWC stock opened at $75.38 on Friday. Hancock Whitney Corporation has a 52 week low of $54.05 and a 52 week high of $80.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.78 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55. The firm had revenue of $403.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $398.89 million. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 21.81% and a return on equity of 11.36%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.37 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney Corporation will post 6.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Amundi purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the first quarter valued at approximately $50,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 51,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,710,000 after buying an additional 2,255 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 22.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $197,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 287,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,078,000 after acquiring an additional 11,551 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 951.9% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 123,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,494,000 after acquiring an additional 112,042 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HWC shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Friday, August 7th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Hancock Whitney from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $87.00 target price on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Zacks Research lowered Hancock Whitney from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Benchmark increased their price target on Hancock Whitney from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $83.78.

About Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ: HWC) is a regional financial services company headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi. The firm was established in April 2019 through the merger of Hancock Holding Company and Whitney Holding Corporation, each of which traced its roots to the late 19th century. This combination created one of the largest bank holding companies in the Gulf South region, with a network of branches serving both urban and rural communities.

The company’s core business activities include commercial banking, retail banking and wealth management services.