For more information

Kathryn Shrout Mistich, SVP, Investor Relations Manager

504.539.7836 or kathryn.mistich@hancockwhitney.com

Hancock Whitney reports first quarter 2026 EPS of $0.57

GULFPORT, Miss. (April 21, 2026) — Hancock Whitney Corporation (Nasdaq: HWC) today announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2026. Net income for the first quarter of 2026 totaled $47.4 million, or $0.57 per diluted common share (EPS), compared to $125.6 million, or $1.49 per diluted common share, in the fourth quarter of 2025. The first quarter of 2026 included a pretax charge of $98.6 million, or $0.95 per share, of a supplemental disclosure item related to a net loss on the securities portfolio restructure. Excluding the impact of the supplemental disclosure item, EPS would be $1.52, up $0.03 linked-quarter. The company reported net income for the first quarter of 2025 of $119.5 million, or $1.38 per diluted common share. There were no supplemental disclosure items in the first or fourth quarters of 2025.

First Quarter 2026 Highlights

“The first quarter of 2026 was a solid start to the year,” said John M. Hairston, President & CEO. “Our diluted earnings per share, adjusted for the supplemental disclosure item, was $1.52, up from $1.49 in prior quarter. Profitability remains strong, with adjusted ROA of 1.43%, an efficiency ratio of 55.43%, and solid fee income and well-controlled expenses. With a focus on sustainable long-term organic balance sheet growth, we continue to invest in revenue-generating activities, including hiring 27 net new bankers in the first quarter. NIM grew 7 basis points to 3.55%, largely due to the completion of our bond portfolio restructuring and lower costs of funds, which more than offset the impact of lower loan yields in this rate environment. We started 2026 by proactively returning capital to shareholders through repurchasing 1.4 million shares of our common stock

and the 11% increase in our common stock dividend to $0.50 per share. With a solid capital stack, we believe we are well-positioned for continued organic growth and proactive capital management in the remainder of 2026.”

Loans

Total loans were $24.0 billion at March 31, 2026, up $33.4 million, or less than 1%, from December 31, 2025. Loan growth was driven primarily by an increase in commercial real estate across multiple products and continued growth in equipment finance.

Average loans totaled $24.0 billion for the first quarter of 2026, up $250.2 million, or 1%, linked-quarter. For 2026, we expect year-over-year mid-single digit end of period loan growth.

Deposits

Total deposits at March 31, 2026 were $29.1 billion, down $197.6 million, or 1%, from December 31, 2025.

Noninterest-bearing DDAs totaled $10.3 billion at March 31, 2026, down $30.1 million, or less than 1%, from December 31, 2025, and comprised 36% of total period-end deposits. The linked-quarter decrease in noninterest-bearing DDAs was related to a decrease in public funds DDAs of $75.5 million in the first quarter of 2026 due to seasonal outflows, partially offset by an increase of $45.4 million in non-public funds DDAs.

Interest-bearing transaction and savings deposits totaled $12.2 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2026, up $261.2 million, or 2%, linked-quarter. This increase was due to competitive products and pricing.

Compared to December 31, 2025, retail time deposits of $3.6 billion were down $148.7 million, or 4%, driven by maturity concentration and promotional rate reductions during the first quarter of 2026. Interest-bearing public fund deposits decreased $280.0 million, or 9%, linked-quarter, totaling $2.9 billion at March 31, 2026. The decrease in interest-bearing public funds was driven by seasonal outflows.

Average deposits for the first quarter of 2026 were $28.8 billion, up $18.2 million, or 1%, linked-quarter. Management expects 2026 period-end deposits to be up low-single digits from December 31, 2025 levels.

Asset Quality

The total allowance for credit losses (ACL) was $343.7 million at March 31, 2026, up $2.0 million from December 31, 2025. During the first quarter of 2026, the company recorded a provision for credit losses of $13.2 million, compared to $13.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. There were $11.1 million of net charge-offs in the first quarter of 2026, or 0.19% of average total loans on an annualized basis, compared to net charge-offs of $13.0 million, or 0.22% of average total loans in the fourth quarter of 2025. The ratio of ACL to period-end loans was 1.43% at March 31, 2026, unchanged compared to December 31, 2025.

Criticized commercial loans totaled $522.2 million, or 2.79% of total commercial loans, at March 31, 2026, down $13.2 million from $535.4 million, or 2.88% of total commercial loans, at December 31, 2025. Nonaccrual loans totaled $113.3 million, or 0.47% of total loans, at March 31, 2026, compared to $106.9 million, or 0.45% of total loans, at December 31, 2025. ORE and foreclosed assets were $11.3 million at March 31, 2026, down $3.5 million, or 24%, from $14.8 million at December 31, 2025.

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin (NIM) (TE)

Net interest income (TE) for the first quarter of 2026 was $287.6 million, an increase of $2.9 million, or 1%, from the fourth quarter of 2025. The net interest margin (NIM) (TE) was 3.55% in the first quarter of 2026, up 7 bps linked-quarter, driven by higher securities yields (+5 bps), and lower cost of funds (+8 bps), partially offset by lower loan yields (-6 bps).

Average earning assets were $32.7 billion for the first quarter of 2026, up $100.5 million, or less than 1%, from the fourth quarter of 2025.

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income totaled $7.5 million for the first quarter of 2026, compared to $107.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. Included in noninterest income in the first quarter of 2026 was a supplemental disclosure item of a ($98.6) million loss in connection with a securities portfolio restructuring. There were no supplemental disclosure items related to noninterest income in the fourth quarter of 2025. Adjusting for this item, noninterest income for the first quarter of 2026 totaled $106.1 million, down $1.0 million, or 1% linked-quarter.

Service charges on deposits were up $0.3 million, or 1%, from the fourth quarter of 2025. Bank card and ATM fees were up $0.5 million, or 2%, fromthe fourth quarter of 2025.

Investment and annuity income and insurance fees were down $0.1 million, or 1%, linked-quarter. Trust fees were down $0.1 million, or less than 1%, linked-quarter. Fees from secondary mortgage operations totaled $3.5 million for the first quarter of 2026, down $0.2 million, or 4%, linked-quarter.

Securities transactions, net was a loss of $98.6 million, resulting from a securities portfolio restructuring identified as a supplemental disclosure item. Other noninterest income was $17.4 million in the first quarter of 2026, down $1.6 million, or 9%, from the fourth quarter of 2025. The decrease in other noninterest income was primarily due to lower SBIC and derivative income, partially offset by higher syndication fees and SBA income.

Noninterest Expense & Taxes

Noninterest expense totaled $220.7 million, up $2.9 million, or 1% linked-quarter.

Personnel expense totaled $127.1 million in the first quarter of 2026, up $4.6 million, or 4%, linked-quarter due to seasonal increases in payroll taxes and benefits.

Net occupancy and equipment expense totaled $17.3 million in the first quarter of 2026, down $1.3 million, or 7%, from the fourth quarter of 2025. Amortization of intangibles totaled $2.5 million for the first quarter of 2026, down $0.1 million, or 3%, linked-quarter.

Net expense on ORE and other foreclosed assets totaled $0.5 million in the first quarter of 2026, virtually unchanged from the fourth quarter of 2025.

Other expenses totaled $73.3 million in the first quarter of 2026, down $0.3 million, or less than 1%, linked-quarter.

The effective income tax rate for the first quarter of 2026 was 19.3%, compared to 20.7% in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Capital

Common stockholders’ equity at March 31, 2026 totaled $4.4 billion, down $40.5 million, or 1%, from December 31, 2025. The tangible common equity (TCE) ratio was 9.93%, down 13 bps

linked-quarter. The company’s CET1 ratio is estimated to be 13.30% at March 31, 2026, down 35 bps linked-quarter. Total risk-based capital ratio is estimated to be 15.10% at March 31, 2026, down 35 bps linked-quarter.

During the first quarter of 2026, the company repurchased 1.4 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $67.55 per share. This stock repurchase is pursuant to the company’s share buyback program (which authorizes the repurchase of up to 5%, or approximately 4.1 million shares, of the company’s outstanding common stock), which expires on December 31, 2026.

Conference Call and Slide Presentation

Management will host a conference call for analysts and investors at 3:30 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 to review first quarter of 2026 results. A live listen-only webcast of the call will be available under the Investor Relations section of Hancock Whitney’s website at investors.hancockwhitney.com. A link to the release with additional financial tables, and a link to a slide presentation related to first quarter 2026 results are also posted as part of the webcast link. To participate in the Q&A portion of the call, dial 800-715-9871 or 646-307-1963, access code 8545141.

An audio archive of the conference call will be available under the Investor Relations section of our website. A replay of the call will also be available through April 28, 2026 by dialing 800-770-2030 or 609-800-9909, access code 8545141.

About Hancock Whitney

Since the late 1800s, Hancock Whitney has embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Hancock Whitney offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; and mortgage services. The company also operates combined loan and deposit production offices in the greater metropolitan areas of Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia. More information is available at www.hancockwhitney.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This news release includes non-GAAP financial measures to describe Hancock Whitney’s performance. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered alternatives to GAAP-basis financial statements and other bank holding companies may define or calculate these non-GAAP measures or similar measures differently. The reconciliations of those measures to GAAP measures are provided either in the financial tables or in Appendix A thereto.

Consistent with the provisions of subpart 229.1400 of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Regulation S-K, “Disclosures by Bank and Savings and Loan Registrants,” the company presents net interest income, net interest margin and efficiency ratios on a fully taxable equivalent (“TE”) basis. The TE basis adjusts for the tax-favored status of net interest income from certain loans and investments using the statutory federal tax rate to increase tax-exempt interest income to a taxable equivalent basis. The company believes this measure to be the preferred industry measurement of net interest income and it enhances comparability of net interest income arising from taxable and tax-exempt sources.

The company presents certain additional non-GAAP financial measures to assist the reader with a better understanding of the company’s performance period over period, as well as to provide investors with assistance in understanding the success management has experienced in executing its strategic initiatives. The company highlights certain items that are outside of our

principal business and/or are not indicative of forward-looking trends in supplemental disclosures items below our GAAP financial data and presents certain “Adjusted” ratios that exclude these disclosed items. These adjusted ratios provide management or the reader with a measure that may be more indicative of forward-looking trends in our business, as well as demonstrates the effects of significant gains or losses and changes.

We define Adjusted Pre-Provision Net Revenue as net income excluding provision expense and income tax expense, plus the taxable equivalent adjustment (as defined above), less supplemental disclosure items (as defined above). Management believes that adjusted pre-provision net revenue is a useful financial measure because it enables investors and others to assess the company’s ability to generate capital to cover credit losses through a credit cycle. We define Adjusted Revenue as net interest income (te) and noninterest income less supplemental disclosure items. We define Adjusted Noninterest Expense as noninterest expense less supplemental disclosure items. We define our Efficiency Ratio as noninterest expense to total net interest income (te) and noninterest income, excluding amortization of purchased intangibles and supplemental disclosure items, if applicable. Management believes adjusted revenue, adjusted noninterest expense and the efficiency ratio are useful measures as they provide a greater understanding of ongoing operations and enhance comparability with prior periods.

Important Cautionary Statement about Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements that we may make include statements regarding our expectations of our performance and financial condition, balance sheet and revenue growth, the provision for credit losses, capital levels, deposits (including growth, pricing, and betas), investment portfolio, other sources of liquidity, loan growth expectations, management’s predictions about charge-offs for loans, the impact of current and future economic conditions, including the effects of declines in the real estate market, tariffs or trade wars (including reduced consumer spending, lower economic growth or recession, reduced demand for U.S. exports, disruptions to supply chains, and decreased demand for other banking products and services), high unemployment, inflationary pressures, increasing insurance costs, fluctuations in interest rates, including the impact of changes in interest rates on our financial projections, models and guidance and slowdowns in economic growth, as well as the financial stress on borrowers as a result of the foregoing, general economic business conditions in our local markets, Federal Reserve action with respect to interest rates, the effects of war or other conflicts, acts of terrorism, climate change, the impact of natural or man-made disasters, the adequacy of our enterprise risk management framework, potential claims, damages, penalties, fines and reputational damage resulting from pending or future litigation, regulatory proceedings, assessments, and enforcement actions, as well as the impact of negative developments affecting the banking industry and the resulting media coverage; the potential impact of current or future business combinations on our performance and financial condition, including our ability to successfully integrate the businesses, success of revenue-generating and cost reduction initiatives, the potential impact of third-party business combinations in our footprint on our performance and financial condition, the effectiveness of derivative financial instruments and hedging activities to manage risks, projected tax rates, increased cybersecurity risks, including potential business disruptions or financial losses, and the impact of artificial intelligence on our business operations, the adequacy of our internal controls over financial and non-financial reporting, the impact of changes in U.S. laws or policies, including those related to credit card interest rates, the financial impact of regulatory requirements and tax reform legislation, deposit trends, credit quality trends, net interest margin trends, future expense levels, future profitability, supplemental disclosure items, improvements in expense to revenue (efficiency) ratio, purchase accounting impacts and expected returns. Also, any statement that does not describe historical or current facts is a forward-looking statement. These statements often include the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,”

“intends,” “plans,” “forecast,” “goals,” “targets,” “initiatives,” “focus,” “potentially,” “probably,” “projects,” “outlook," or similar expressions or future conditional verbs such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” and “could.” Forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management and on information currently available to management. Our statements speak as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update these statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those contained in such statements in light of new information or future events.

Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking statement made in this release is subject to the safe harbor protections set forth in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on such statements. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and in other periodic reports that we file with the SEC.