Retirement Systems of Alabama Increases Holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 107,899 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned approximately 0.13% of Hancock Whitney worth $5,243,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 32.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares in the last quarter. DMC Group LLC bought a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter worth $205,000. Trust Point Inc. bought a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter worth $216,000. Finally, Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. purchased a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at $236,000. Institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

HWC opened at $47.57 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $44.14 and a 200 day moving average of $43.37. The stock has a market cap of $4.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.09 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 52-week low of $31.02 and a 52-week high of $49.65.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 5th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 5th. This is an increase from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hancock Whitney

In other news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 3,636 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total transaction of $158,166.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 35,285 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,534,897.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Hancock Whitney news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 3,636 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total transaction of $158,166.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 35,285 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,534,897.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 1,300 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 23,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,094,058.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,780 shares of company stock valued at $256,988 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $52.00 price objective (down from $55.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Hancock Whitney from $50.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com downgraded Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Hancock Whitney from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.71.

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.