Fisher Asset Management LLC Purchases 72,433 Shares of Hancock Whitney Corporation $HWC

Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 348,993 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 72,433 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $21,850,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 6.5% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in Hancock Whitney by 0.9% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 25,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,586,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Hancock Whitney by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 21,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,357,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the period. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,419 shares of the company’s stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hancock Whitney

In related news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 5,227 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.57, for a total value of $358,415.39. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 33,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,283,449.57. The trade was a 13.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

NASDAQ HWC opened at $66.19 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $5.53 billion, a PE ratio of 11.65 and a beta of 1.05. Hancock Whitney Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $43.90 and a fifty-two week high of $75.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $68.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.78.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.01. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.16% and a net margin of 24.05%.The firm had revenue of $81.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.63 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.40 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Hancock Whitney Corporation will post 5.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on HWC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup raised their price target on Hancock Whitney from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $76.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.63.

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.