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

Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $168.9167.

WTFC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $178.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $170.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $188.00 price objective (up from $184.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd.

Wintrust Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ WTFC opened at $161.31 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $151.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.52 and a beta of 0.85. Wintrust Financial has a 52-week low of $119.61 and a 52-week high of $163.36.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The bank reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $713.17 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $707.23 million. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 20.11% and a return on equity of 13.15%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Wintrust Financial will post 13.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO David A. Dykstra sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.82, for a total value of $1,425,546.78. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 179,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,759,324.20. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Suzet M. Mckinney sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.96, for a total value of $74,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,303 shares in the company, valued at $492,014.88. This represents a 13.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,099 shares of company stock worth $1,954,386. Insiders own 1.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in Wintrust Financial in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its position in Wintrust Financial by 231.9% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 229 shares of the bank’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 72.7% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 240 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial during the first quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.48% of the company’s stock.

Wintrust Financial Company Profile

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.