Quest Partners LLC Invests $673,000 in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 13,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $673,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 832,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,791,000 after buying an additional 96,522 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 122,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,516,000 after buying an additional 4,886 shares during the last quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 1,407,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,064,000 after buying an additional 194,100 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hancock Whitney in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,045,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,039,436 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,449,000 after buying an additional 14,625 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of HWC stock opened at $46.86 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.92 and a beta of 1.31. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 52 week low of $32.16 and a 52 week high of $49.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $45.25 and a 200-day moving average of $44.52.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $354.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $353.15 million. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 19.07% and a return on equity of 11.89%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 4.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 5th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 5th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. This is an increase from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.97%.

Insider Activity at Hancock Whitney

In related news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 1,300 shares of Hancock Whitney stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.62, for a total value of $59,306.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 23,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,094,058.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Hancock Whitney news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.62, for a total transaction of $59,306.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,094,058.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Cecil W. Knight, Jr. sold 844 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.82, for a total value of $39,516.08. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 58,843 shares in the company, valued at $2,755,029.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HWC has been the subject of a number of research reports. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Hancock Whitney from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Hancock Whitney from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.43.

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.