Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) Receives $107.17 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the eleven research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $107.17.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $104.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Wintrust Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 23rd. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $105.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Barclays began coverage on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Friday, March 8th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 18th.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Edward J. Wehmer sold 9,500 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.36, for a total transaction of $943,920.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 177,124 shares in the company, valued at $17,599,040.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Jeffrey D. Hahnfeld sold 588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.88, for a total transaction of $57,553.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 3,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $333,770.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Edward J. Wehmer sold 9,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.36, for a total transaction of $943,920.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 177,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,599,040.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Wintrust Financial by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,015 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,048 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $172,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 4,135 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 0.5% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 26,713 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,017,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 5.3% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,028 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.48% of the company’s stock.

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WTFC opened at $104.39 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $97.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market cap of $6.48 billion, a PE ratio of 10.90 and a beta of 1.20. Wintrust Financial has a 52-week low of $58.12 and a 52-week high of $105.29.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 18th. The bank reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.42 by ($0.55). The company had revenue of $570.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $578.89 million. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 13.23%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.23 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial will post 9.95 EPS for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 8th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 7th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.72%. This is a boost from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.79%.

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.