Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Friday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Truist Financial raised Wintrust Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays upped their target price on Wintrust Financial from $151.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price target (up previously from $135.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $157.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.69.

Wintrust Financial Trading Down 0.9 %

Wintrust Financial stock opened at $130.04 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.65 billion, a PE ratio of 12.61 and a beta of 1.19. Wintrust Financial has a 12 month low of $90.29 and a 12 month high of $142.04. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $118.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.11. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 17.52% and a return on equity of 12.60%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.87 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial will post 10.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 6th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. This is a positive change from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 6th. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.40%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Richard B. Murphy sold 3,186 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.30, for a total transaction of $418,321.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 48,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,409,278.20. This trade represents a 6.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jeffrey D. Hahnfeld sold 416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.95, for a total transaction of $54,475.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $298,042.20. The trade was a 15.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,178 shares of company stock worth $1,336,315 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.47% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 63.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 376 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 62.0% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 512 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $61,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 32.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 539 shares of the bank’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.48% of the company’s stock.

Wintrust Financial Company Profile

Wintrust Financial Corporation operates as a financial holding company. It operates in three segments: Community Banking, Specialty Finance, and Wealth Management. The Community Banking segment offers non-interest bearing deposits, non-brokered interest-bearing transaction accounts, and savings and domestic time deposits; home equity, consumer, and real estate loans; safe deposit facilities; and automatic teller machine (ATM), online and mobile banking, and other services.