Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $177.7692.

A number of analysts have weighed in on WTFC shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Monday, June 29th. Wall Street Zen cut Wintrust Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 12th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $186.00 target price on Wintrust Financial in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th.

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WTFC opened at $148.24 on Friday. Wintrust Financial has a 52 week low of $119.61 and a 52 week high of $167.21. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $157.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $151.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $10.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.91 and a beta of 0.84.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The bank reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $738.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $735.36 million. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 20.72% and a return on equity of 13.37%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.78 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Wintrust Financial will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 6th were paid a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 6th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO David Dykstra sold 13,515 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.77, for a total transaction of $2,199,836.55. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 166,449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,092,903.73. This trade represents a 7.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $8,320,000. Simplicity Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $866,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,437,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Wintrust Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,320,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 559,762 shares of the bank’s stock worth $78,266,000 after buying an additional 102,798 shares during the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wintrust Financial Company Profile

Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: WTFC) is a financial services company and bank holding company headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois. Founded in 1991, the company operates a network of community banks that serve individuals, families, businesses and institutions.

Wintrust’s banking operations provide deposit accounts, commercial and consumer lending, mortgage financing, treasury management, payment services and other traditional banking products. Through specialized subsidiaries and affiliated businesses, the company also offers wealth management, investment services, insurance premium financing, equipment leasing and related financial solutions.

The company primarily serves communities in the greater Chicago metropolitan area and has expanded its banking presence into surrounding Midwestern markets, including parts of Wisconsin and Indiana.