Is Hancock Whitney's OFB Acquisition Set to Drive Long-Term Growth?

Hancock Whitney Corporation HWC completed its previously announced acquisition of OFB Bancshares, Inc., the parent company of One Florida Bank, in an all-cash transaction valued at $377.6 million. It strengthens the company’s presence in Orlando, Jacksonville and the Florida Panhandle.

One Florida Bank adds approximately $1.7 billion in loans and $1.8 billion in deposits. Florida deposits will be 21% of total deposits on a pro forma basis. Hancock Whitney expects to complete the systems conversion in the fourth quarter of 2026, marking the final stage of integrating One Florida Bank into its operations.

Management noted that projected revenue synergies were not included in the transaction model, indicating additional upside potential as Hancock Whitney integrates One Florida Bank into its broader banking platform. The company expects to leverage One Florida Bank's local relationships alongside its commercial banking, private banking, and wealth management capabilities to drive loan growth and expand fee income opportunities over time.

Management expects the acquisition to complement its strong operating outlook for 2026. Period-end loans and deposits are projected to grow in the low double-digit range. Tax-equivalent net interest income is expected to increase 8-9% year over year, while net interest margin is anticipated to remain flat to modestly higher in the second half of 2026, assuming no rate cuts. Additionally, adjusted non-interest income is forecast to rise 6-7%, reflecting continued business momentum. Reflecting this momentum, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales suggests an increase of 1.7% for 2026 and 14.5% for 2027.

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The acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive to Hancock Whitney's earnings, with management projecting high-single-digit earnings growth. Also, the company expects approximately $15.8 million in annual cost savings, while one-time merger-related charges are expected to be $30 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HWC’s 2026 and 2027 earnings reflects the deal benefits. Earnings are projected to grow at the rate of 12.8% and 12.2% for 2026 and 2027, respectively.

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Further, the transaction resulted in a Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio of 11.4% at closing. The transaction also met or exceeded Hancock Whitney's minimum return thresholds for IRR and ROIC, highlighting its attractive financial profile.

As per Hancock Whitney’s corporate strategic objectives (to be achieved by the fourth quarter of 2028), adjusted return on assets (ROA) is expected to be greater than or equal to 1.50% and adjusted return on tangible common equity (ROTCE) is expected to be more than or equal to 15%. At the end of the second quarter of 2026, ROA was 1.42%, and ROTCE was 14.84%.

Therefore, HWC is expected to realize operational efficiencies and financial benefits from the acquisition, which will further strengthen its position in one of the fastest-growing markets in the Southeast.

HWC’s Price Performance

Over the past year, shares of HWC have gained 33.8%, significantly outperforming the industry's 19.1% increase.

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At present, Hancock Whitney carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Business Restructuring Steps Taken by Other Financial Firms

On Aug. 3, HSBC Holdings plc HSBC announced the sale of its retail banking businesses in Egypt and Australia as part of its broader simplification and restructuring strategy.

The transactions reflect the bank's focus on streamlining operations, exiting businesses where it lacks sufficient scale, redeploying capital to higher-return opportunities, and strengthening its core corporate and institutional banking, wealth management, and wholesale banking franchises. The moves are expected to support HSBC's target of delivering approximately $1.5 billion in annualized cost savings and achieving at least a 17% return on average tangible equity by 2028.

In the month of July, State Street Corporation STT agreed to acquire Santander CACEIS Latam Securities Services, a joint venture owned by Santander Group and CACEIS.

The transaction supports STT's long-term growth strategy of expanding its global investment servicing platform, increasing its footprint in key Latin American markets, and enhancing its custody, fund administration, and foreign exchange capabilities for institutional clients.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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