Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Shares Purchased by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 42.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,121 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,900 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $718,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney in the third quarter worth $72,000. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in Hancock Whitney by 170.3% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 1,677 shares during the last quarter. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HWC opened at $60.27 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.49. The stock has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Hancock Whitney Co. has a fifty-two week low of $41.43 and a fifty-two week high of $62.40.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.12. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 11.56%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.26 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.43 EPS for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on HWC shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $72.00 target price (up from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.56.

Hancock Whitney Company Profile

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.