Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Makes New $1.52 Million Investment in Hancock Whitney Corporation $HWC

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 23,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,520,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 67.6% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 627 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the third quarter worth $45,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

In other news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 417 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.16, for a total transaction of $28,005.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,683,432.56. This represents a 1.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

Hancock Whitney stock opened at $74.61 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $69.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Hancock Whitney Corporation has a 52 week low of $54.05 and a 52 week high of $76.39. The stock has a market cap of $6.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.32 and a beta of 0.94.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $393.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $400.01 million. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.20% and a net margin of 21.34%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 19.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.38 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Hancock Whitney Corporation will post 6.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Hovde Group downgraded Hancock Whitney from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $74.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, June 12th. Autonomous Res lowered shares of Hancock Whitney from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Benchmark began coverage on Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $84.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.25.

Hancock Whitney 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.