Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $164.4167.

WTFC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $170.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays upped their target price on Wintrust Financial from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup raised their price target on Wintrust Financial from $167.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $158.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Wintrust Financial Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of WTFC opened at $147.90 on Friday. Wintrust Financial has a twelve month low of $89.10 and a twelve month high of $155.99. The stock has a market cap of $9.90 billion, a PE ratio of 12.97 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $141.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.66.

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

Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 5th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Jeffrey D. Hahnfeld sold 314 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.43, for a total value of $45,665.02. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,947 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $283,152.21. This represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO David L. Stoehr sold 2,499 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.16, for a total value of $365,253.84. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,638 shares in the company, valued at $2,724,130.08. The trade was a 11.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.01% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Wintrust Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 196.0% during the second quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 296 shares of the bank’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 75.3% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 312 shares of the bank’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. 93.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.