Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Purchases 16,915 Shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC

Key Points

• Clark Capital Management Group increased its Wintrust Financial stake by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, buying 16,915 more shares and bringing its total holding to 589,731 shares worth about $82.5 million.
• Wintrust Financial reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings, posting $3.22 EPS versus the $2.96 consensus and revenue of $713.17 million, up 10.9% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally positive on WTFC, with the stock carrying a Moderate Buy rating and an average target price of $168.92, while the company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.55 per share.

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 589,731 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 16,915 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. owned about 0.88% of Wintrust Financial worth $82,456,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTFC. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 231.9% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 229 shares of the bank's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 72.7% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 240 shares of the bank's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 93.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $170.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $178.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Friday, March 27th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $160.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $188.00 price objective (up from $184.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $168.92.

Wintrust Financial Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:WTFC opened at $157.19 on Wednesday. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a one year low of $116.57 and a one year high of $162.96. The company has a 50 day moving average of $149.50 and a 200-day moving average of $145.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $10.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.18 and a beta of 0.84.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The bank reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.96 by $0.26. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 20.11% and a return on equity of 13.15%. The company had revenue of $713.17 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $707.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. Wintrust Financial's revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 13.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were given a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Wintrust Financial's payout ratio is currently 18.44%.

Insider Transactions at Wintrust Financial

In other news, Director Suzet M. Mckinney sold 500 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.96, for a total transaction of $74,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,303 shares in the company, valued at $492,014.88. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO David L. Stoehr sold 3,020 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.45, for a total transaction of $454,359.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,987,895.85. This represents a 18.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 13,099 shares of company stock worth $1,954,386 in the last quarter. 1.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Wintrust Financial

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.

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