Swiss National Bank Grows Stock Position in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 169,800 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $9,291,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 9.7% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

HWC stock opened at $52.30 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $41.56 and a 52-week high of $62.40. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $56.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.24. The company has a market capitalization of $4.50 billion, a PE ratio of 9.91 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 earnings per share (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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.26 EPS. Analysts predict that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. 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 3.44%. Hancock Whitney’s payout ratio is currently 34.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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