Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) CFO Sells $365,253.84 in Stock

Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) CFO David Stoehr sold 2,499 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.16, for a total transaction of $365,253.84. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,724,130.08. The trade was a 11.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Wintrust Financial Price Performance

Shares of WTFC opened at $147.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $142.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $134.81. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $89.10 and a fifty-two week high of $155.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a PE ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.88.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $586.67 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $700.85 million. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 19.48% and a return on equity of 12.95%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.63 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. This is a positive change from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. Wintrust Financial’s payout ratio is 17.54%.

Key Stories Impacting Wintrust Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting Wintrust Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wintrust raised its quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.55 (ex‑dividend and record dates set in early February), boosting the annualized payout to $2.20 and signaling confidence in capital/earnings. A higher dividend can support the share price and attract income investors. Dividend & company update
• Positive Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms raised price targets and maintained buy/overweight ratings (Piper Sandler, TD Cowen, Barclays, Citi), lifting the consensus target above the current market level and supporting upside expectations. Analyst optimism can lift demand and limit downside. Analyst coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings were mixed: Q4 EPS beat estimates ($3.15 vs. $2.93) but revenue came in well below consensus. Profitability metrics (net margin ~19.5%, ROE ~13%) remain solid, but the revenue miss could temper enthusiasm until management explains drivers. Earnings release
• Negative Sentiment: Substantial insider selling occurred on Jan. 29: EVP Kathleen Boege sold 5,000 shares (~$731.9k), director Richard Murphy sold 3,291 shares (~$480.7k), CFO David Stoehr sold 2,499 shares (~$365.3k), plus smaller EVP sales. Multiple executives trimming positions (single‑day, material percentages for some) can be perceived negatively by the market even if motivated by diversification or tax planning. TipRanks summary of insider activity SEC filing (Murphy)

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTFC. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Wintrust Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $87,418,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial in the third quarter worth about $90,187,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 417.9% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 506,766 shares of the bank’s stock worth $67,116,000 after acquiring an additional 408,925 shares during the period. Azora Capital LP purchased a new position in Wintrust Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $44,085,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 172.4% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 238,210 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,549,000 after acquiring an additional 150,768 shares during the period. 93.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $161.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $167.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $164.42.

About Wintrust Financial

Wintrust Financial Corporation is a Chicago‐area bank holding company headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois. Through its primary subsidiary, Wintrust Bank, the company operates a network of community banks serving metropolitan Chicago and select markets in southeastern Wisconsin. These locally branded banks provide personalized commercial and consumer banking solutions tailored to small and mid‐size businesses, professionals, and individual clients.

The firm’s core offerings include deposit products, commercial and residential lending, treasury management, and mortgage banking services.