Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Boosts Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Price Target to $80.00

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) had its price target boosted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $78.00 to $80.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 5.71% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on HWC. Citigroup lifted their target price on Hancock Whitney from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Stephens cut their price target on Hancock Whitney from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. DA Davidson raised their price target on Hancock Whitney from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings lowered Hancock Whitney from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hancock Whitney has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $83.56.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of Hancock Whitney stock opened at $75.68 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $6.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.74. Hancock Whitney has a fifty-two week low of $54.05 and a fifty-two week high of $79.36.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.55. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 21.81% and a return on equity of 11.36%. The firm had revenue of $403.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $398.89 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.37 EPS. Hancock Whitney’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Hancock Whitney will post 6.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

In other Hancock Whitney news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 417 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.16, for a total transaction of $28,005.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,683,432.56. The trade was a 1.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 70.9% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. 81.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.