Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.01, Zacks reports. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.29% and a net margin of 23.99%.The company had revenue of $81.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.63 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.40 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Hancock Whitney’s conference call:

• Bond portfolio restructuring: completed in early January and the company expects it to add about 7 bps to NIM, ~$24 million to NII and roughly $0.23 of EPS annually, improving near-term earnings power.
• Accelerating organic growth: Hancock Whitney plans to hire up to 50 revenue-generating associates in 2026 to support mid-single-digit loan growth and low-single-digit deposit growth, with emphasis on full-relationship business bankers.
• Solid operating results and constructive guidance: Q4 EPS was $1.49 with ROA 1.41% and efficiency under 55%, and 2026 guidance calls for NII up 5%–6%, PP&R up 4.5%–5.5%, and an efficiency ratio around 54%–55%.
• Credit, reserves and capital posture: criticized loans and non-accruals declined, allowance is ~1.43% of loans with Q4 net charge-offs at 22 bps and an expected 2026 NCO range of 15–25 bps; the board reauthorized a 5% buyback while CET1 is 13.66% and TCE just over 10%.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Hancock Whitney stock opened at $67.60 on Wednesday. Hancock Whitney has a fifty-two week low of $43.90 and a fifty-two week high of $68.84. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $63.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $61.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.09 and a beta of 1.05.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.20%.

Institutional Trading of Hancock Whitney

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 67.6% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney during the third quarter valued at $45,000. Amundi purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney during the first quarter valued at $50,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 84,400.0% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 845 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hancock Whitney in the second quarter worth $58,000. Institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $76.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $71.88.

Hancock Whitney Company 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.