We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience.
This includes personalizing content and advertising.
By pressing "Accept All" or closing out of this banner, you consent to the use of all cookies and similar technologies and the sharing of information they collect with third parties.
You can reject marketing cookies by pressing "Deny Optional," but we still use essential, performance, and functional cookies.
In addition, whether you "Accept All," Deny Optional," click the X or otherwise continue to use the site, you accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, revised from time to time.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. However, when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.
Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, dividends. A dividend is that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.
Hancock Whitney in Focus
Hancock Whitney (HWC - Free Report) is headquartered in Gulfport, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of -11.09% since the start of the year. The holding company of Whitney Bank and Hancock Bank is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.45 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.7%. This compares to the Banks - Southeast industry's yield of 2.59% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.69%.
In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.80 is up 20% from last year. Hancock Whitney has increased its dividend 2 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 9.80%. Future dividend growth will depend on earnings growth as well as payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Hancock Whitney's current payout ratio is 30%, meaning it paid out 30% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for HWC for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 is $5.44 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 2.26%.
Bottom Line
Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.
High-growth firms or tech start-ups, for example, rarely provide their shareholders a dividend, while larger, more established companies that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, HWC is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold).
See More Zacks Research for These Tickers
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock?
Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. However, when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.
Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, dividends. A dividend is that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.
Hancock Whitney in Focus
Hancock Whitney (HWC - Free Report) is headquartered in Gulfport, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of -11.09% since the start of the year. The holding company of Whitney Bank and Hancock Bank is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.45 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.7%. This compares to the Banks - Southeast industry's yield of 2.59% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.69%.
In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.80 is up 20% from last year. Hancock Whitney has increased its dividend 2 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 9.80%. Future dividend growth will depend on earnings growth as well as payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Hancock Whitney's current payout ratio is 30%, meaning it paid out 30% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for HWC for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 is $5.44 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 2.26%.
Bottom Line
Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.
High-growth firms or tech start-ups, for example, rarely provide their shareholders a dividend, while larger, more established companies that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, HWC is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold).