Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Stake Lowered by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. cut its stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 0.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,459,346 shares of the company’s stock after selling 717 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 1.70% of Hancock Whitney worth $79,855,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HWC. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Up 3.7 %

NASDAQ HWC opened at $54.26 on Tuesday. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 1-year low of $41.56 and a 1-year high of $62.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $56.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.30. The company has a market capitalization of $4.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.28 and a beta of 1.24.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.12. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.56% and a net margin of 22.40%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.26 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This is an increase from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on HWC shares. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $72.00 target price (up from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.56.

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.