Hancock Whitney (HWC) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?

Company Overview - Hancock Whitney (HWC) is based in Gulfport and operates in the Finance sector, with a year-to-date share price change of -2.7% [3] - The company currently pays a dividend of $0.45 per share, resulting in a dividend yield of 3.38%, which is higher than the Banks - Southeast industry's yield of 2.41% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.56% [3] Dividend Performance - Hancock Whitney's annualized dividend of$ 1.80 has increased by 20% from the previous year [4] - Over the past five years, the company has raised its dividend twice on a year-over-year basis, achieving an average annual increase of 9.80% [4] - The current payout ratio is 33%, indicating that the company distributes 33% of its trailing 12-month earnings per share as dividends [4] Earnings Growth - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hancock Whitney's earnings per share for 2025 is $5.51, reflecting a year-over-year growth rate of 3.57% [5] Investment Considerations - HWC is considered a compelling investment opportunity due to its strong dividend profile and current Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [7]