AlphaQuest LLC Grows Stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 67.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,422 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,316 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney makes up 0.4% of AlphaQuest LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $3,033,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,297,776 shares of the company’s stock worth $219,917,000 after acquiring an additional 73,316 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 1.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,149,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,016,000 after purchasing an additional 30,239 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,898,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,557,000 after purchasing an additional 12,172 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,228,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,235,000 after purchasing an additional 73,875 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 8.8% during the third quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 692,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,429,000 after purchasing an additional 55,869 shares in the last quarter. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Stock Down 0.1 %

HWC stock opened at $53.00 on Friday. Hancock Whitney Co. has a fifty-two week low of $41.56 and a fifty-two week high of $62.40. The business’s 50-day moving average is $57.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.04 and a beta of 1.24.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the company earned $1.26 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. This is an increase from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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