Hancock Whitney Q1 EPS Forecast Increased by Zacks Research

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

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on HWC. StockNews.com raised Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $74.00 price target (up previously 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 objective (up from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.56.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

HWC stock opened at $54.10 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.25 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $56.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Hancock Whitney has a 52-week low of $41.56 and a 52-week high of $62.40.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.12. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 11.56%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.26 earnings per share.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.33%. 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. Hancock Whitney’s payout ratio is presently 34.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth about $54,605,000. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,775,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter worth approximately $13,796,000. Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Hancock Whitney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $12,937,000. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 69.5% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 544,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,795,000 after purchasing an additional 223,275 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.