At a glance
Hancock Whitney Corp is worth $5.76B, about 13 times its fiscal 2025 earnings. It pays a 3.41% dividend yield, raised every year for at least 3 years, and returned $945.0M to shareholders in dividends and buybacks over FY2021–FY2025. The stock returned +30.9% over the past year with dividends reinvested and +10.9% a year over five years, against +11.5% and +11.7% for the S&P 500. At its worst it fell 61.3% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 24.7% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 10 months and 4 months after the lows.
The business in plain English
Hancock Whitney Corporation, based in Gulfport, Mississippi, owns Hancock Whitney Bank and smaller units in equipment finance and investment services. The bank takes deposits from, and lends to, individuals, small businesses, mid-sized companies and larger corporations. It aims to pair a regional bank's range of products with a community bank's level of service. As of December 31, 2025, the company had $35.5 billion in assets, $24.0 billion in loans and $29.3 billion in deposits, with 180 banking locations and 221 ATMs.
Its markets center on the Gulf South: southern and central Mississippi and Alabama; most of Louisiana; northern, central and panhandle Florida; and parts of east Texas, plus the Nashville and Atlanta metro areas. Loans include business credit for day-to-day operations, expansion and equipment; mortgages on commercial property; and consumer and home loans. To a lesser degree, specialty teams in equipment finance, commercial real estate and healthcare lend regionally and nationally.
Most of its revenue is net interest income: the gap between interest collected on loans and securities and interest paid on deposits. That was about $1.11 billion in 2025. Noninterest income, which includes fees from business cash management, trust, investment advice and brokerage, added about $406 million. Its May 2025 purchase of Florida-based Sabal Trust Company brought about $3 billion of client assets under its management.
Price history
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HWC +30.9% over the year to Oct 28, 2026, total return with dividends reinvested.
Latest results
- In Q2 FY2026 (ended Jun 30, 2026), revenue was —, and net income was $127.0M (+11.8%).
- For fiscal 2025, revenue was — (— year over year) with a null% net margin.
Financial health check
| Return on equity | 10.9% watch |
|---|---|
| Deposits | $29.63B |
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Net income | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | — | $-45.2M | — |
| FY2021 | — | $463.2M | — |
| FY2022 | — | $524.1M | — |
| FY2023 | — | $392.6M | — |
| FY2024 | — | $460.8M | — |
| FY2025 | — | $486.1M | — |
Valuation snapshot
| Market value | $5.76B |
|---|---|
| P/E ratio | 12.7 |
| Dividend yield | 3.41% |
Rank among 1514 US companies
Market value at each year end
Hancock Whitney’s market value went from $3.34B at the end of 2016 to $5.76B on Oct 28, 2026, up 72%; since the end of 2025 it is up 8%.
Show as a table
| Year end | Market value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2026 | $5.76B | +8.2% |
| 2025 | $5.32B | +13.1% |
| 2024 | $4.71B | +12.5% |
| 2023 | $4.19B | +0.9% |
| 2022 | $4.15B | -4.5% |
| 2021 | $4.34B | +47.7% |
| 2020 | $2.94B | -23.2% |
| 2019 | $3.83B | +29.7% |
| 2018 | $2.95B | -30.0% |
| 2017 | $4.22B | +26.1% |
| 2016 | $3.34B |
Price behavior
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HWC price data to Oct 28, 2026 | +16.1% | +30.9% | +33.8% | +10.9% | +11.0% |
Show as a table
| Year | Price data |
|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +16.1% |
| 2025 | +20.0% |
| 2024 | +16.1% |
| 2023 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | -1.2% |
| 2021 | +50.5% |
| 2020 | -19.3% |
| 2019 | +30.2% |
| 2018 | -28.5% |
| 2017 | +17.2% |
| 2016 | +76.8% |
| 2015 | -15.2% |
| 2014 | -13.9% |
| 2013 | +19.3% |
| 2012 | +2.4% |
| 2011 | -5.4% |
| 2010 | -18.2% |
| 2009 | -0.8% |
| 2008 | +21.7% |
| 2007 | -26.0% |
| 2006 | +42.2% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Lost 44.6% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 59.8%, back to its old high 93 months after the low |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 61% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 61.3%, back to its old high 9.5 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 6.7% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 24.7%, back to its old high 3.6 months after the low |
Insider activity
Form 4 filings from 2025-10-29 to 2026-10-29 (25 read): 0 open-market purchases and 3 sales ($2.1M).
| Date | Insider | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2026 | Michael M Achary Chief Financial Officer | sell | $1.7M |
| Aug 20, 2026 | Emory L Jr Mayfield Chief Banking Officer | sell | $381K |
| May 22, 2026 | Christine L Pickering Director | sell | $28K |
Who owns it
Large shareholders (13G filings)
| BlackRock, Inc. | 12.5% | Mar 31, 2025 |
| FMR LLC | 8.6% | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Vanguard Portfolio Management | 6.1% | Mar 31, 2026 |
| STATE STREET CORPORATION | 5.5% | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Vanguard Capital Management | 5.34% | Mar 31, 2026 |
ETFs with the most weight in HWC
| QABA First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund | 2.39% |
| GRPM Invesco S&P MidCap 400 GARP ETF | 2.15% |
| FDIQ Invesco Bloomberg Financial Data Providers ETF | 2.03% |
| KBE SPDR S&P Bank ETF | 1.12% |
| SEIS SEI Select Small Cap ETF | 0.81% |
| SVAL iShares US Small Cap Value Factor ETF | 0.55% |
| FNK First Trust Mid Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund | 0.45% |
| PAMC Pacer Lunt MidCap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF | 0.4% |
What could go wrong
- Tied closely to the Gulf South economy. Its branches and borrowers sit mainly in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and parts of Texas. A regional slowdown could cut loan demand, make repayment harder and lower the value of property pledged as collateral.
- Concentrations in certain kinds of loans. Its loans cluster in commercial and residential real estate, healthcare, hospitality, shared national credits (large loans split among several banks) and leveraged loans (to heavily indebted companies). A slump in one could hit many loans.
- Disasters in a concentrated footprint. The 10-K lists natural and man-made disasters as a risk. With branches and borrowers clustered in one region, a single severe event could disrupt operations and hurt many customers at once.
- Growth plan may not pay off. Its plan adds bankers and new financial centers in North Dallas, and it acquired Sabal Trust Company in May 2025. These cost money upfront, and the 10-K warns the expected benefits may not arrive.
- Interest rate changes can squeeze profits. Most of its income is net interest income: the gap between what it earns on loans and securities and pays on deposits. Rate moves or Federal Reserve policy shifts can narrow that gap.
- Dividends depend on the bank's results. The parent company relies mainly on Hancock Whitney Bank's earnings to pay shareholders. If the bank's results weaken or regulators limit payouts, the company says it may not pay, or be permitted to pay, dividends.
Recent events
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
- Other company announcement
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
- Other company announcement
- Major agreement signed
- Investor presentation or announcement
- Shareholder vote results
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
- Other company announcement
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
For income and retirement investors
Hancock Whitney paid $1.08 per share in dividends each year from 2020 through 2022, holding steady even in 2020, when it reported a net loss. It then raised the payout three years running, to $1.80 in 2025, growth of about 10.8% a year since 2020. Dividends paid in 2025 used 31.6% of earnings, leaving a cushion if profits dip. Share buybacks jumped to about $247 million in 2025, and the number of shares outstanding fell 7.6% between October 2021 and July 2026. The dividend yield was 3.41% as of October 28, 2026.
Downturns have hit the shares hard. They fell about 60% from September 2008 to March 2009 and took until December 2016 to recover. In the 2020 COVID crash they fell about 61% between February 20 and March 23, recovering by January 2021. In 2022 they fell about 25% and recovered in under four months. As a single stock, Hancock Whitney carries more risk than a diversified fund.
Questions investors ask
How does Hancock Whitney make money?
Mostly from interest. Its biggest source of revenue is net interest income, the difference between what it earns on loans and securities and what it pays on deposits. That came to about $1.11 billion in 2025. Noninterest income, which includes fees from business cash management, trust and investment management, and brokerage, added about $406 million. Net income for 2025 was about $486 million, or $5.67 per share, and return on equity (profit as a share of shareholders' money) was 10.9%.
Where does Hancock Whitney operate?
Mainly in the Gulf South. Its markets include southern and central Mississippi and Alabama; northwest, central and southern Louisiana; northern, central and panhandle Florida; parts of east and northeast Texas; and the Nashville and Atlanta metro areas. It had 180 banking locations and 221 ATMs as of December 31, 2025. Its growth plan, announced in late 2024, includes expanding in Florida and Texas, with new financial centers in the North Dallas area. That regional focus ties results closely to local economies.
Does Hancock Whitney raise its dividend every year?
No, not every year. It paid $1.08 per share in each year from 2020 through 2022, then raised the dividend three years in a row: to $1.20 in 2023, $1.50 in 2024 and $1.80 in 2025. That is growth of about 10.8% a year since 2020. Dividends paid in 2025 used 31.6% of earnings. The company warns that its payouts depend mainly on its bank's results and that it may not always be permitted to pay dividends.
What is Hancock Whitney's dividend yield?
The dividend yield, or annual dividends as a percentage of the share price, was 3.41% as of October 28, 2026. The company paid $1.80 per share in dividends in 2025. On the same date the shares traded at about 12.7 times 2025 earnings (the price-to-earnings, or P/E, ratio), and the company's total market value was about $5.76 billion. It also returns cash through share buybacks: about $365 million from 2021 through 2025, including about $247 million in 2025.
How has Hancock Whitney stock performed over time?
It has gained over the long run, with sharp drops along the way. Based on the share price, it returned about 30.9% in the year to October 28, 2026, and about 10.9% a year over five years and 11% a year over ten years to that date. But it fell about 60% in the 2008 financial crisis, taking until December 2016 to recover, and lost about 61% in the 2020 COVID crash. Its deepest drop over roughly 21 years was about 71%.