Q1 EPS Forecast for Hancock Whitney Lifted by Analyst

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) – Zacks Research raised their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Hancock Whitney in a report issued on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will earn $1.41 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.40. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Hancock Whitney’s current full-year earnings is $5.53 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hancock Whitney’s Q1 2027 earnings at $1.58 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.62 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.47 EPS.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.01. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 24.05% and a return on equity of 11.16%. The company had revenue of $81.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $391.63 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.40 earnings per share.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays assumed coverage on Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $76.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.25.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

HWC stock opened at $71.16 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $67.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.90. Hancock Whitney 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 current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.95 billion, a PE ratio of 12.53 and a beta of 1.05.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 5,227 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.57, for a total transaction of $358,415.39. Following the sale, the insider owned 33,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,283,449.57. This trade represents a 13.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HWC. Channing Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $80,246,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the second quarter valued at approximately $60,224,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 18,614.2% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 535,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,071,000 after purchasing an additional 532,180 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 134.3% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 909,460 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,941,000 after purchasing an additional 521,261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Hancock Whitney by 126,754.3% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 457,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,671,000 after purchasing an additional 457,583 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.