Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. Purchases 5,650 Shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC

Key Points

• Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. increased its stake in Wintrust Financial Corporation by 30.7% during the first quarter, now holding 24,042 shares valued at approximately $2.7 million.
• Wintrust Financial reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.78, exceeding analysts' estimates and showcasing a net margin of 18.06% for the quarter.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, indicating a 1.5% dividend yield and a low payout ratio of 18.92%.

Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. raised its position in Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC - Free Report) by 30.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,042 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 5,650 shares during the period. Wintrust Financial comprises approximately 2.4% of Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd.'s holdings in Wintrust Financial were worth $2,704,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA raised its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 19,896 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,238,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,600 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,092,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,098 shares of the bank's stock valued at $573,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 19,055 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,143,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. boosted its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 7,646 shares of the bank's stock worth $860,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wintrust Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTFC traded down $0.87 during trading on Monday, hitting $137.29. 573,999 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 372,212. The company has a market capitalization of $9.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.99 and a beta of 0.87. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 1-year low of $89.10 and a 1-year high of $142.04. The business's 50 day moving average is $129.60 and its 200-day moving average is $119.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 21st. The bank reported $2.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $670.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.43 million. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 18.06%.During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, August 7th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 7th. Wintrust Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on WTFC. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Wintrust Financial from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Wintrust Financial from $137.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on Wintrust Financial and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and set a $157.00 price target (up previously from $155.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $162.00 price target (up previously from $145.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. One research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $145.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO David A. Dykstra sold 14,942 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.53, for a total value of $1,965,321.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 182,208 shares in the company, valued at $23,965,818.24. This represents a 7.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward J. Wehmer purchased 3,919 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 3,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $103,265.65. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.01% of the company's stock.

Wintrust Financial 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.