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Hancock Whitney
(NASDAQ:HWC)
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Rating:74Outperform
Price Target:
$87.00
▲(14.17% Upside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:08/07/26
HWC scores well on fundamentals and recent business momentum, supported by solid profitability and strong cash conversion, plus a constructive technical uptrend. The score is tempered by cooler returns versus prior peak years, uneven recent growth/cash-flow momentum, and earnings-call headwinds around deposit-cost pressure, competitive pricing, and capital dilution from the OFB acquisition.
Positive Factors
Profitability and Efficiency
Strong profitability and operating efficiency indicate that Hancock Whitney is converting its banking franchise into durable earnings. These metrics provide a solid base for absorbing investment, funding growth, and maintaining competitiveness over the next several quarters.
Negative Factors
Margin and Deposit-Cost Pressure
Higher deposit pricing and weaker loan yields could compress the spread that drives core bank earnings. Competitive bidding for funding and loans may limit pricing discipline, making sustained net interest income growth more dependent on balance-sheet expansion.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Profitability and Efficiency
Strong profitability and operating efficiency indicate that Hancock Whitney is converting its banking franchise into durable earnings. These metrics provide a solid base for absorbing investment, funding growth, and maintaining competitiveness over the next several quarters.
Read all positive factors
Hancock Whitney (HWC) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)
Market Cap
$6.28B
Dividend Yield2.5%
Average Volume (3M)985.26K
Price to Earnings (P/E)14.8
Beta (1Y)0.98
Revenue Growth-3.22%
EPS Growth-5.23%
CountryUS
Employees3,674
SectorFinancial
Sector Strength70
IndustryBanks - Regional
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)5.15
Shares Outstanding80,223,060
10 Day Avg. Volume1,047,515
30 Day Avg. Volume985,261
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio1.44
Price to Book (P/B)1.19
Price to Sales (P/S)2.62
P/FCF Ratio10.12
Enterprise Value/Market Cap<0.01
Enterprise Value/Revenue<0.01
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit<0.01
Enterprise Value/Ebitda<0.01
Forecast
1Y Price Target
$84.33Price Target Upside10.67% Upside
Rating ConsensusStrong Buy
Number of Analyst Covering9
EPS Forecast (FY)6.49
Revenue Forecast (FY)$1.63B
Hancock Whitney Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
Hancock Whitney Corporation, founded in 1899 and headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi, functions as the financial holding company for Hancock Whitney Bank. This institution delivers a comprehensive range of traditional and online banking solutio...
How the Company Makes Money
Hancock Whitney primarily earns money through a mix of interest income from lending and fee-based income from banking and wealth services. (1) Net interest income: The company gathers funding largely through customer deposits (e.g., checking, savi...
Hancock Whitney Earnings Call Summary
Earnings Call Date:Jul 21, 2026
(Q2-2026)
| % Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Oct 20, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call conveys a broadly positive message: solid profitability, controlled expenses, sequential and year-over-year growth in earnings, loans and deposits, improved asset-quality trends, successful banker hiring and accretive capital actions (buybacks + approved acquisition). Challenges include competitive loan/deposit pricing, modest pressure on loan yields and a conservative CECL stance, plus expected upward pressure on deposit costs in H2. On balance the strengths and momentum highlighted by management (earnings, PPNR, improved criticized loans, deposit funding of loan growth, acquisition approval and disciplined capital return) materially outweigh the presented headwinds.Positive Updates
Earnings and EPS Growth
Net income of $127 million for the quarter; EPS of $1.55, a 13% improvement versus the same period a year ago (and up from $1.52 in Q1).
Negative Updates
Net Interest Margin and Loan Yield Pressure
NIM rose only 1 basis point sequentially (from 3.55% to 3.56%); loan yields were down 2 bps and new loan rates declined ~12 bps quarter-over-quarter, indicating pressure on new loan pricing.
Read all updates
Q2-2026 Updates
Positive
Negative
Earnings and EPS Growth
Net income of $127 million for the quarter; EPS of $1.55, a 13% improvement versus the same period a year ago (and up from $1.52 in Q1).
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Management reiterated full‑year guidance (excluding the 1 Florida Bank (OFB) deal) at mid‑single‑digit loan growth and updated deposit guidance from low‑single to mid‑single digits; including OFB (expected close Aug 1) they now expect loans and deposits up low‑double digits, net interest income up 8–9%, fee income up 6–7%, operating expenses up 7.5–8.5% and PPNR up 7–8% (no material revenue synergies assumed; cost saves fully realized by 2027). Current Q2 baselines: ROA 1.42%, efficiency 55.3%, ROTCE 14.9%; Q2 net income $127M ($1.55/sh), PPNR $178M (up 3% q/q), NII +3% q/q, NIM 3.56% (up 1 bp), earning asset yield +2 bp, cost of funds +1 bp, bond yield 3.35% (up 12 bp), loan yield down 2 bp (new loan yield ~6.04%), cost of deposits 1.43% (down 4 bp) though deposit costs could rise ~10 bp Q2–Q4; avg earning assets +$570M q/q, avg loans +$374M q/q; loans +5% y/y, deposits +2% y/y (linked‑quarter annualized loans +10%, deposits +8%). Asset quality/capital notes: criticized commercial loans down $30M to $492M, nonaccruals $114M, net charge‑offs 16 bp (guidance 15–25 bp for FY26), loan loss reserves 1.42% of loans; capital actions include >700k shares repurchased in Q2 with ~2M shares remaining under the 5% authorization (to be exhausted pro rata in H2); OFB will lower TCE ≈120 bp and CET1 ≈170 bp and, all else equal, ratios would take roughly eight quarters to return to pre‑deal levels.Hancock Whitney Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
74
Positive
Balance Sheet
70
Positive
Cash Flow
67
Positive
| Breakdown | TTM | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2022 | Dec 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | ||||||
| Total Revenue | 1.96B | 2.02B | 2.05B | 1.89B | 1.47B | 1.35B |
| Gross Profit | 1.43B | 1.47B | 1.39B | 1.31B | 1.41B | 1.37B |
| EBITDA | 578.13M | 655.82M | 615.69M | 536.40M | 704.81M | 613.83M |
| Net Income | 427.42M | 486.07M | 460.81M | 392.60M | 524.09M | 463.21M |
Balance Sheet | ||||||
| Total Assets | 36.35B | 35.47B | 35.08B | 35.58B | 35.18B | 36.53B |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 1.22B | 563.22M | 6.68B | 6.10B | 6.44B | 11.22B |
| Total Debt | 1.89B | 1.34B | 967.38M | 1.52B | 2.23B | 2.03B |
| Total Liabilities | 31.90B | 31.01B | 30.95B | 31.77B | 31.84B | 32.86B |
| Stockholders Equity | 4.44B | 4.46B | 4.13B | 3.80B | 3.34B | 3.67B |
Cash Flow | ||||||
| Free Cash Flow | 559.70M | 523.06M | 615.50M | 470.22M | 812.88M | 562.15M |
| Operating Cash Flow | 577.45M | 541.78M | 625.74M | 495.25M | 842.02M | 585.69M |
| Investing Cash Flow | -1.13B | -314.36M | 274.76M | -295.21M | 662.36M | -3.22B |
| Financing Cash Flow | 617.04M | -239.34M | -886.79M | -203.29M | -1.34B | 2.51B |
Hancock Whitney Technical Analysis
Positive
76.20
Price Trends
75.33
Positive
70.84
Positive
67.34
Positive
Market Momentum
1.05
Positive
56.34
Neutral
71.03
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For HWC, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 76.2 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 77.57, above the 50-day MA of 75.33, and above the 200-day MA of 67.34, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 1.05 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 56.34 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 71.03 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for HWC.
Hancock Whitney Risk Analysis
Hancock Whitney disclosed 39 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Hancock Whitney reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks
Hancock Whitney Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (68)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
80 Outperform | $4.96B | 18.15 | 14.00% | 2.28% | 9.67% | 9.32% | |
77 Outperform | $5.56B | 11.10 | 16.41% | ― | 12.54% | 13.67% | |
76 Outperform | $6.64B | 12.99 | 9.39% | 3.15% | 7.96% | 29.54% | |
74 Outperform | $6.28B | 14.78 | 9.61% | 2.49% | -3.22% | -5.23% | |
72 Outperform | $6.05B | 12.35 | 9.68% | 3.43% | 35.21% | 61.65% | |
70 Outperform | $5.92B | 15.66 | 9.25% | 0.91% | 2.30% | -2.55% | |
68 Neutral | $18.00B | 11.42 | 9.92% | 3.81% | 9.73% | 1.22% |
* Financial Sector Average
HWC
Hancock Whitney
76.13
17.40
29.63%
ABCB
Ameris Bancorp
86.75
17.79
25.79%
AX
Axos Financial
96.15
9.55
11.03%
FFIN
First Financial Bankshares
34.12
-0.76
-2.17%
AUB
Atlantic Union Bankshares
41.36
9.01
27.83%
UBSI
United Bankshares
47.69
12.00
33.62%
Hancock Whitney Corporate Events
Business Operations and StrategyM&A Transactions
Hancock Whitney Completes Acquisition of OFB Bancshares, Inc.
Positive
Aug 3, 2026
Hancock Whitney Corporation has completed its previously announced acquisition of OFB Bancshares, Inc., the parent of One Florida Bank, in a two-step merger transaction effective August 1, 2026, with Hancock Whitney and Hancock Whitney Bank emergi...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackFinancial DisclosuresM&A Transactions
Hancock Whitney reports strong Q2 earnings and growth
Positive
Jul 21, 2026
Hancock Whitney reported second-quarter 2026 net income of $127.0 million, or $1.55 per diluted share, up sharply from $47.4 million, or $0.57 per share, in the first quarter, which was weighed down by a $98.6 million securities portfolio restruct...
Business Operations and StrategyM&A TransactionsRegulatory Filings and ComplianceShareholder Meetings
Hancock Whitney advances One Florida Bank acquisition plans
Positive
Jul 20, 2026
On July 20, 2026, Hancock Whitney Corporation reported that it had secured regulatory approval or non-objection from the Federal Reserve, FDIC, and Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance for its planned acquisition of OFB Bancshare...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.