Hancock Whitney Q1 EPS Estimate Boosted by Zacks Research

Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Hancock Whitney in a report issued on Monday, March 24th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will earn $1.40 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.38. The consensus estimate for Hancock Whitney’s current full-year earnings is $5.53 per share.

HWC has been the topic of several other research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price target (up previously from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.56.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Hancock Whitney stock opened at $53.55 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Hancock Whitney has a 1-year low of $41.56 and a 1-year high of $62.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a PE ratio of 10.14 and a beta of 1.24.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 previous year, the firm earned $1.26 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter worth about $92,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.45 dividend. This is an increase from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. Hancock Whitney’s payout ratio is presently 34.09%.

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.