Christine L. Pickering Sells 1,300 Shares of Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) Stock

Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) 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 owns 23,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,094,058.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Hancock Whitney Trading Up 2.1 %

Hancock Whitney stock traded up $0.95 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $46.34. The stock had a trading volume of 463,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 509,103. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 12 month low of $31.02 and a 12 month high of $49.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.01 billion, a PE ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.13.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 5th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. This is a boost from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HWC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James increased their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. StockNews.com cut Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, March 31st. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Hancock Whitney from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 8th. Citigroup upgraded Hancock Whitney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $48.00 to $50.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their target price on Hancock Whitney from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hancock Whitney currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.71.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 35.2% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 155.8% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,044 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 32.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

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.