May 1, 2025
Top 10 Stock Hancock Buy Recommendation



How to read the ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:

Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Snapshot: Hancock – Top 10 Stock in S&P Mid-Cap Index


investors.hancockwhitney.com


Hancock is listed as a top 10 stock on May 01, 2025 in the market index S&P MIDCAP because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Only one consolidated Obermatt Rank is above-average. The company enjoys a positive professional investor sentiment, but all financial facts speak against a stock purchase. This is probably an investment into the future. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 67 (high 67% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for Hancock on May 01, 2025.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country USA
Industry Regional Banks
Index NASDAQ, D.J. US Banks, S&P MIDCAP
Size class Large
Latest Research


Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).

For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).


360° View: Obermatt 360° View Hancock Buy

360 METRICS May 1, 2025
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Hancock are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Hancock. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 100, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 100% of alternative investment opportunities. But all other ranks are below average. The consolidated Value Rank has a rank of 49, which means that the share price of Hancock is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The consolidated Growth Rank also has a low rank of 39, meaning that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. This means that growth is lower than for 39% of competitors in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 45 which means that the company has a riskier financing structure than 55% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 67, Hancock is better positioned than 67% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only the professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 100) is above-average, and all other consolidated Obermatt Ranks are below peers, the stock investing proposition case is rather weak. The stock price is expensive for a company of this size in this industry, visible in the below-average Value Rank. Growth is below the competition based on the Growth Rank, and the company has more debt than other companies, according to the Safety Rank. So the question becomes: How important is the Sentiment Rank when all others are below average? When it comes to growth, the low rating might be justified if growth is expected in the future and not yet reflected in current performance. This is often the case for companies with intellectual property, such as technology and pharmaceutical companies. In the early phases, these companies are expensive compared with their size and may have a lot of debt on their books, as is the case here, as seen in the low Value and Safety Ranks. Future growth may be the strongest investment rationale in this case, which is only reflected by institutional investors' opinions. You pay more than the market average for this stock and invest in a rather debt-loaded enterprise, but it may be worth it if the future of Hancocḳ is bright. A small investment might be justified, but proceed with caution. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Hancock very positive

SENTIMENT METRICS May 1, 2025
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2025, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Hancock is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Hancock. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 90 (better than 90% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Analyst Opinions Change is also positive with a rank of 100, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better and recommending investing in the company. They are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Hancock. The Professional Investors rank is 92, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 92% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 92 which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the positive side when discussing this company (more positive news than for 92% of competitors). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 100 (more positive than 100% compared with investment alternatives), Hancock has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. Since all market sentiment indicators are positive, the professional community highly recommends investment in the company. Does this mean Hancock stocks are a safe investment? Far from it. Even professionals make mistakes. Especially in stock investing, there is a tendency to follow the leaders. Since trees don't grow to the heavens, such positive sentiment may also be interpreted as a danger sign. A lot of optimism can often be a sign of troubles to come, albeit unforeseen by most. ...read more



Value Strategy: Hancock Stock Price Value below-average critical

VALUE METRICS May 1, 2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 49 (worse than 51% compared with alternatives), Hancock shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Hancock. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 64 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 64% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Hancock's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 42, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 42% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 56% of alternatives (only 44% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 41% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 49, is a hold recommendation based on Hancock's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high in respect to expected revenues, it means that the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than pay it out to shareholders, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. ...read more



Growth Strategy: Hancock Growth Momentum low

GROWTH METRICS May 1, 2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 39 (better than 39% compared with alternatives), Hancock shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Hancock. Only Capital Growth has a good rank of 71, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 27% of its competitors. The other three indicators are pointing South: Sales Growth has a rank of 44 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 56% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a rank of 27 and Stock Returns with a rank of 47 are also low (below 53% of alternative investments). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 39, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. The good news from the invested capital side is surprising. A company with disappointing revenues, profits, and disappointed shareholders typically doesn't invest above average. Overall, the growth momentum for Hancock is thus negative. As it is intriguing to see that company executives are optimistic about their investment policy, it is worthwhile looking into the details of the capital investment projects. They may indicate future growth and profits and thus if accompanied by a good value, a sign of good timing to invest in the stock. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Hancock Debt Financing Safety below-average

SAFETY METRICS May 1, 2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 45 (better than 45% compared with alternatives), the company Hancock has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Hancock is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Hancock. Liquidity is at 89, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 89% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 33, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 67% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 24, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 76% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 45 (worse than 55% compared with alternatives), Hancock has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. ...read more



Combined financial peformance: Hancock Below-Average Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE May 1, 2025
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 35 (worse than 65% compared with investment alternatives), Hancock (Regional Banks, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Hancock are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 49 (worse than 51% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 39), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 45), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 35, is a hold recommendation based on Hancock's financial characteristics. As the company Hancock's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 49), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 39), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 45), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. ...read more

Obermatt Portfolio Performance
We’re so convinced about our research, that we buy our stock tips.
See the performance of the Obermatt portfolio.