Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates for Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Hancock Whitney in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $1.41 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.40. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Hancock Whitney’s current full-year earnings is $5.53 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hancock Whitney’s Q1 2027 earnings at $1.58 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.62 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.47 EPS.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.01. Hancock Whitney had a return on equity of 11.16% and a net margin of 24.05%.The company had revenue of $81.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.63 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.40 EPS.

HWC has been the subject of several other research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Hancock Whitney from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Hancock Whitney from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Hancock Whitney from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hancock Whitney has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.25.

Hancock Whitney Trading Down 0.8%

Hancock Whitney stock opened at $71.41 on Thursday. Hancock Whitney has a 12 month low of $43.90 and a 12 month high of $75.43. The company has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $67.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Hancock Whitney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Christopher S. Ziluca sold 5,227 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.57, for a total value of $358,415.39. Following the sale, the insider owned 33,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,283,449.57. This trade represents a 13.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hancock Whitney

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,878,121 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,589,000 after buying an additional 182,845 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Hancock Whitney in the second quarter valued at about $60,224,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 21.4% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 920,152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,595,000 after acquiring an additional 162,482 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its position in Hancock Whitney by 134.3% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 909,460 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,941,000 after purchasing an additional 521,261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 83.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 850,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,827,000 after purchasing an additional 385,784 shares during the period. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Hancock Whitney

Here are the key news stories impacting Hancock Whitney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑ and mid‑term EPS forecasts for HWC (Q2–Q4 2026, Q2 & Q4 2027 and FY2026/FY2028), bumped FY2026 to $6.04 from $5.81 and maintained a “Strong‑Buy” rating — a clear positive catalyst for forward earnings expectations. Zacks research upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reports for early February show “0” shares and NaN changes (days‑to‑cover = 0.0), indicating a likely data/reporting error rather than a meaningful change in short positioning — so no clear bearish pressure from shorts based on these filings. Short interest data

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.