How Expanded Share Repurchases At Hancock Whitney (HWC) Have Changed Its Investment Story

• In the fourth quarter of 2025, Hancock Whitney Corporation completed a share repurchase of 4,306,000 shares, or about 5.06% of its stock, for US$251.04 million under the buyback program announced on December 12, 2024.
• On December 10, 2025, the Board authorized a new buyback plan allowing repurchases of up to 5% of outstanding shares through December 31, 2026, signaling ongoing capital return priorities.
• We’ll now examine how this renewed 5% share repurchase capacity could influence Hancock Whitney’s existing investment narrative and outlook.

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Hancock Whitney Investment Narrative Recap

To own Hancock Whitney, you need to be comfortable with a regional bank story built on steady earnings, disciplined credit, and consistent capital returns. The completion of a 5.06% buyback and the new 5% authorization support the existing capital return catalyst but do not materially change the nearer term risks around loan growth, deposit trends, or expense pressure from recent acquisitions.

The new buyback plan, allowing repurchases of up to 5% of outstanding shares through December 31, 2026, ties directly into Hancock Whitney’s existing catalyst of ongoing share repurchases potentially supporting earnings per share. That said, investors still need to weigh this capital return capacity against the risk that seasonal outflows, deposit declines, and slower loan growth could limit balance sheet flexibility if conditions worsen.

But alongside this renewed repurchase capacity, investors should be aware of how deposit outflows and softer loan demand could still...

Read the full narrative on Hancock Whitney (it's free!)

Hancock Whitney's narrative projects $1.8 billion revenue and $525.8 million earnings by 2028. This requires 7.9% yearly revenue growth and about a $57.6 million earnings increase from $468.2 million today.

Uncover how Hancock Whitney's forecasts yield a $70.25 fair value, a 7% upside to its current price.

Exploring Other Perspectives

Two fair value estimates from the Simply Wall St Community span a wide range, from US$70.25 to US$118.12 per share, underscoring how differently investors view Hancock Whitney’s prospects. When you set those views against the renewed 5% buyback capacity, it highlights how capital return plans can be interpreted very differently in light of earnings, loan growth, and deposit risk, so it is worth exploring several alternative viewpoints before forming a conclusion.

Explore 2 other fair value estimates on Hancock Whitney - why the stock might be worth as much as 80% more than the current price!

Build Your Own Hancock Whitney Narrative

Disagree with existing narratives? Create your own in under 3 minutes - extraordinary investment returns rarely come from following the herd.

• A great starting point for your Hancock Whitney research is our analysis highlighting 4 key rewards and 1 important warning sign that could impact your investment decision.
• Our free Hancock Whitney research report provides a comprehensive fundamental analysis summarized in a single visual - the Snowflake - making it easy to evaluate Hancock Whitney's overall financial health at a glance.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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