Wall Street Zen Upgrades Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) to Hold

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Friday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Hancock Whitney from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Hancock Whitney from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $76.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hancock Whitney currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.25.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of HWC stock opened at $67.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 1.05. Hancock Whitney has a one year low of $43.90 and a one year high of $71.20. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $64.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.83.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $81.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.63 million. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 24.05% and a return on equity of 11.16%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.40 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 929.5% in the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 453 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 627 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Hancock Whitney by 6,107.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 84,400.0% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 844 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Company Profile

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.