Aberdeen Group plc Grows Position in Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in Wintrust Financial Corporation by 19.5%, owning 453,443 shares valued at approximately $50.99 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Analyst ratings for Wintrust Financial have generally been positive, with multiple firms raising their target prices and maintaining buy ratings; the consensus rating is currently a "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $145.77.
• Wintrust Financial recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing a 1.6% dividend yield, with a payout ratio of 18.92%.

Aberdeen Group plc grew its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC - Free Report) by 19.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 453,443 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 74,036 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.68% of Wintrust Financial worth $50,994,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WTFC. Earnest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $163,767,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,263,837 shares of the bank's stock worth $157,613,000 after purchasing an additional 337,763 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 2.7% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,128,724 shares of the bank's stock worth $126,936,000 after purchasing an additional 30,018 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 897,932 shares of the bank's stock worth $111,981,000 after purchasing an additional 320,954 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 53.3% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 807,390 shares of the bank's stock worth $90,799,000 after purchasing an additional 280,568 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.48% of the company's stock.

Wintrust Financial Trading Up 0.5%

WTFC traded up $0.70 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $128.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 161,038 shares, compared to its average volume of 440,329. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a twelve month low of $89.10 and a twelve month high of $142.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $127.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 0.85.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The bank reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.19. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 18.06%.The firm had revenue of $670.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.43 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 10.36 EPS for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 7th. Wintrust Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO David A. Dykstra sold 14,942 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.53, for a total transaction of $1,965,321.26. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 182,208 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,965,818.24. This represents a 7.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Edward J. Wehmer bought 3,919 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $26.35 per share, for a total transaction of $103,265.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at $103,265.65. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.01% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WTFC. Wall Street Zen upgraded Wintrust Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $162.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on Wintrust Financial and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Stephens reduced their target price on Wintrust Financial from $145.00 to $132.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson upped their target price on Wintrust Financial from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $145.77.

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.