Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC Has $1.08 Million Stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 23.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 19,670 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,755 shares during the period. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $1,076,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HWC. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $72,000. CWM LLC raised its position in Hancock Whitney by 170.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,662 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 1,677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 19.1% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

HWC stock opened at $58.97 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $5.07 billion, a PE ratio of 11.17 and a beta of 1.27. Hancock Whitney Co. has a one year low of $41.19 and a one year high of $62.40.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the previous year, the company posted $1.26 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 5th. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.30%.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

In other Hancock Whitney news, CEO John M. Hairston sold 18,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.44, for a total transaction of $1,069,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 254,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,099,305.44. The trade was a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 763 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.40, for a total transaction of $39,981.20. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 23,518 shares in the company, valued at $1,232,343.20. The trade was a 3.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on HWC. DA Davidson raised their target price on Hancock Whitney from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com lowered Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $72.00 price target (up previously from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hancock Whitney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.56.

Hancock Whitney 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.