Zacks Research Weighs in on Hancock Whitney FY2026 Earnings

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research issued their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Hancock Whitney in a report issued on Thursday, June 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team expects that the company will post earnings of $6.45 per share for the year. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Hancock Whitney’s current full-year earnings is $6.47 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hancock Whitney’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.75 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.73 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.79 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.83 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.89 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $7.23 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.83 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $7.72 EPS.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $393.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $400.01 million. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 21.34% and a return on equity of 11.20%. The firm’s revenue was down 19.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.38 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen cut Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Hovde Group downgraded Hancock Whitney from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $74.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday. Citigroup increased their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Hancock Whitney from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.43.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

NASDAQ HWC opened at $72.50 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.62. 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 has a 12-month low of $52.93 and a 12-month high of $75.43. The firm has a market cap of $5.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.89 and a beta of 0.95.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HWC. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 0.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,790,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $304,652,000 after purchasing an additional 21,655 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Hancock Whitney by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,521,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,935,000 after purchasing an additional 126,367 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 10.8% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,878,121 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,589,000 after purchasing an additional 182,845 shares in the last quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at $80,246,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Hancock Whitney by 21.4% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 920,152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,595,000 after buying an additional 162,482 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hancock Whitney news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 417 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 25,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,683,432.56. The trade was a 1.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.07%.

Key Stories Impacting Hancock Whitney

Here are the key news stories impacting Hancock Whitney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hovde Group upgraded Hancock Whitney to “hold”, which can support investor confidence and help explain the stock’s upward move. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research lifted its forward earnings outlook across multiple periods, including FY2026 EPS of $6.45, FY2027 EPS of $7.23, and FY2028 EPS of $7.72, suggesting analysts see earnings growth ahead for Hancock Whitney.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research reiterated a Hold rating while updating quarterly estimates for 2026-2028, which signals cautious optimism rather than a strongly bullish thesis.
• Neutral Sentiment: The firm’s estimates for upcoming quarters were fairly steady, with Q4 2026 EPS at $1.75, Q1 2027 at $1.73, Q2 2027 at $1.79, Q3 2027 at $1.83, and Q4 2027 at $1.89, indicating a gradual earnings trajectory rather than a major surprise.

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.