Sifting through countless of stocks in the Banks industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services and Inc.

Hancock Whitney Corporation operates as the financial holding company for Hancock Whitney Bank that provides traditional and online banking services to commercial, small business, and retail customers in the United States. The company offers various transaction and savings deposit products, such as brokered deposits, time deposits, and money market accounts; treasury management services; secured and unsecured loan products, including revolving credit facilities; letters of credit and similar financial guarantees; trust and investment management services to retirement plans, corporations, and individuals; and investment advisory and brokerage products. It also provides commercial and industrial loans, such as commercial non-real estate and real estate loans; construction and land development loans; residential mortgages; and consumer loans comprising second lien mortgage home loans, home equity lines of credit, and nonresidential consumer purpose loans, automobiles, recreational vehicles and boats, other personal purposes, deposit account secured loans, and small portfolio of credit card receivables. In addition, the company offers commercial finance products to middle market and corporate clients comprising leases and related structures; invests in new market tax credit activities and holds certain foreclosed assets; fixed annuity and life insurance products, investment management and advisory, and other services; and underwrites transactions primarily for banking clients, as well as debt and mortgage-related securities. The company was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Provident Financial Services, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Provident Bank that provides various banking products and services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. Its deposit products include savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, money market deposit, and certificate of deposit accounts, as well as IRA products. The company’s loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate loans that are secured by properties, such as multi-family apartment buildings, retail and industrial properties, and office buildings; commercial business loans; fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage loans collateralized by one- to four-family residential real estate properties; residential mortgage loans; commercial construction loans; and consumer loans consisting of home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, personal loans and unsecured lines of credit, and auto and recreational vehicle loans. It also offers cash management, remote deposit capture, payroll origination, escrow account management, and online and mobile banking services; and business credit cards. In addition, the company provides wealth management services comprising investment management, trust and estate administration, financial planning, and tax compliance and planning; and insurance agency operations. Further, it sells insurance and investment products, including annuities; and manages and sells real estate properties acquired through foreclosure. The company was founded in 1839 and is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Latest Banks and Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services, Inc. Stock News

As of September 9, 2026, Hancock Whitney Corporation had a $6.0 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $749.3 million. Hancock Whitney Corporation’s stock is NA in 2026, NA in the previous five trading days and up 18.33% in the past year.

Currently, Hancock Whitney Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 14.5. Hancock Whitney Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.4 billion with a 30.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 7.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $6.492 per share for the current fiscal year. Hancock Whitney Corporation currently has a 2.7% dividend yield.

Currently, Provident Financial Services, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 9.6. Provident Financial Services, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $894.3 million with a 35.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 3.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $2.463 per share for the current fiscal year. Provident Financial Services, Inc. currently has a 4.2% dividend yield.

How We Compare Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Hancock Whitney Corporation	HWC	A
Provident Financial Services, Inc.	PFS	C

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Hancock Whitney Corporation has a Growth Score of 83, which is Very Strong. Provident Financial Services, Inc. has a Growth Score of 59, which is Average.

The Growth Grade Winner: Hancock Whitney Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Hancock Whitney Corporation has a more attractive growth grade than Provident Financial Services, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Hancock Whitney Corporation could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Hancock Whitney Corporation	HWC	C
Provident Financial Services, Inc.	PFS	C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Hancock Whitney Corporation has a Momentum Score of 57, which is Average. Provident Financial Services, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 52, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services or Inc. has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Hancock Whitney Corporation	HWC	D
Provident Financial Services, Inc.	PFS	B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Hancock Whitney Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 39, which is Negative. Provident Financial Services, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 65, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Provident Financial Services, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Provident Financial Services, Inc. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Hancock Whitney Corporation. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Provident Financial Services, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services and Inc. Grades

In addition to Growth, Estimate Revisions and Momentum, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Quality.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Hancock Whitney Corporation stock has a Growth Score of 83, Momentum Score of 57 and Estimate Revisions Score of 39.

Provident Financial Services, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 59, Momentum Score of 52 and Estimate Revisions Score of 65.

Comparing Hancock Whitney Corporation, Provident Financial Services and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.