Intech Investment Management LLC Grows Stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 122.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,348 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 34,811 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $3,466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of Hancock Whitney by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HWC opened at $52.34 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $56.99 and a 200 day moving average of $55.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 52 week low of $41.56 and a 52 week high of $62.40. The company has a market capitalization of $4.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.91 and a beta of 1.24.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company earned $1.26 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney’s payout ratio is currently 34.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.