Hancock Whitney Co. to Post FY2025 Earnings of $4.94 Per Share, Zacks Research Forecasts (NASDAQ:HWC)

Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) – Analysts at Zacks Research reduced their FY2025 EPS estimates for shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note issued to investors on Monday, June 24th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will earn $4.94 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $4.95. The consensus estimate for Hancock Whitney’s current full-year earnings is $4.88 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hancock Whitney’s FY2026 earnings at $5.32 EPS.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.10. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 19.07% and a return on equity of 11.89%. The firm had revenue of $354.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $353.15 million.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on HWC. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective (down previously from $55.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $50.00 to $55.00 in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.88.

Hancock Whitney Trading Up 1.2 %

HWC opened at $45.93 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a PE ratio of 10.71 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a fifty day moving average of $46.19 and a 200-day moving average of $45.34. Hancock Whitney has a twelve month low of $32.16 and a twelve month high of $49.65.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 5th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.48%. This is a boost from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 5th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.30%.

Insider Transactions at Hancock Whitney

In related news, insider Cecil W. Knight, Jr. sold 844 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.82, for a total value of $39,516.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,755,029.26. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Hancock Whitney news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.62, for a total transaction of $59,306.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 23,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,094,058.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Cecil W. Knight, Jr. sold 844 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.82, for a total transaction of $39,516.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 58,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,755,029.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 35.2% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 155.8% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,044 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Hancock Whitney by 32.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,000 after acquiring an additional 628 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Corporation operates as the financial holding company for Hancock Whitney Bank that provides traditional and online banking services to commercial, small business, and retail customers. It offers various transaction and savings deposit products consisting of brokered deposits, time deposits, and money market accounts; treasury management services, secured and unsecured loan products including revolving credit facilities, and letters of credit and similar financial guarantees; and trust and investment management services to retirement plans, corporations, and individuals, and investment advisory and brokerage products.