Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Director Sells $59,306.00 in Stock

Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Director Christine L. Pickering sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.62, for a total value of $59,306.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 23,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,094,058.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

NASDAQ HWC opened at $47.57 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.09 and a beta of 1.31. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Hancock Whitney Co. has a fifty-two week low of $31.02 and a fifty-two week high of $49.65.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 5th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HWC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, March 31st. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Hancock Whitney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $48.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $52.00 target price (down from $55.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on Hancock Whitney from $50.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.71.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HWC. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 35.2% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 328 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 155.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 1,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Hancock Whitney by 32.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,000 after acquiring an additional 628 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.