Insider Selling: Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) EVP Sells $731,900.00 in Stock

Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) EVP Kathleen Boege sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.38, for a total transaction of $731,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 22,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,349,613.54. This trade represents a 17.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Wintrust Financial Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:WTFC opened at $147.49 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a PE ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.88. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 1 year low of $89.10 and a 1 year high of $155.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $142.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.84.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $3.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $586.67 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $700.85 million. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 19.48%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Wintrust Financial Corporation 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 issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 17.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on WTFC. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Citigroup raised their price target on Wintrust Financial from $167.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $170.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stephens raised their target price on Wintrust Financial from $158.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Wintrust Financial from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $164.42.

Key Wintrust Financial News

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

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Wintrust Financial by 5.4% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,992,906 shares of the bank’s stock worth $263,940,000 after buying an additional 102,833 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,442,018 shares of the bank’s stock worth $190,981,000 after acquiring an additional 8,048 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,300,234 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $172,204,000 after acquiring an additional 75,155 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Wintrust Financial by 9.0% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,229,858 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $152,478,000 after acquiring an additional 101,134 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Wintrust Financial by 1.4% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,071,763 shares of the bank’s stock worth $141,944,000 after purchasing an additional 15,044 shares in the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.