Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Acquires 14,008 Shares of Hancock Whitney Corporation $HWC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) by 46.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,096 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,008 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC owned 0.05% of Hancock Whitney worth $2,761,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Amundi purchased a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the 1st quarter worth about $50,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 51,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,710,000 after buying an additional 2,255 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 22.9% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $197,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Hancock Whitney by 4.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 287,471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,078,000 after acquiring an additional 11,551 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 951.9% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 123,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,494,000 after acquiring an additional 112,042 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on HWC shares. Barclays began coverage on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $76.00 price target for the company. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Hancock Whitney from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $75.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hancock Whitney

In other news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 5,227 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.57, for a total value of $358,415.39. Following the transaction, the insider owned 33,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,283,449.57. This trade represents a 13.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HWC opened at $68.80 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a PE ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s fifty day moving average is $65.47 and its 200 day moving average is $62.07. Hancock Whitney Corporation has a 52 week low of $43.90 and a 52 week high of $71.20.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.01. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.16% and a net margin of 24.05%.The firm had revenue of $81.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.63 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.40 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney Corporation 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 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This is an increase from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.69%.

Hancock Whitney Profile

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ: HWC) is a regional financial services company headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi. The firm was established in April 2019 through the merger of Hancock Holding Company and Whitney Holding Corporation, each of which traced its roots to the late 19th century. This combination created one of the largest bank holding companies in the Gulf South region, with a network of branches serving both urban and rural communities.

The company’s core business activities include commercial banking, retail banking and wealth management services.