Leeward Investments LLC MA Sells 59,244 Shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC

Key Points

• Leeward Investments LLC MA cut its Wintrust Financial stake by 25.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 59,244 shares and leaving it with 172,260 shares valued at about $24.1 million.
• Wall Street remains upbeat on WTFC, with several firms raising price targets and issuing Buy/Overweight ratings; the consensus view is a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $168.92.
• Wintrust recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, and the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.55 per share, payable May 28, for a 1.5% annualized yield.

Leeward Investments LLC MA reduced its position in shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC - Free Report) by 25.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 172,260 shares of the bank's stock after selling 59,244 shares during the period. Wintrust Financial accounts for about 1.2% of Leeward Investments LLC MA's holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Leeward Investments LLC MA owned approximately 0.26% of Wintrust Financial worth $24,085,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the third quarter worth about $41,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Wintrust Financial by 75.3% in the third 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 period. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the second quarter worth about $41,000. 93.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on WTFC shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed 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. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $178.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $176.00 price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $168.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO David A. Dykstra sold 9,579 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.82, for a total value of $1,425,546.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 179,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,759,324.20. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzet M. Mckinney sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.96, for a total transaction of $74,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,303 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $492,014.88. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,099 shares of company stock valued at $1,954,386. Company insiders own 1.24% of the company's stock.

Wintrust Financial Stock Down 0.1%

WTFC opened at $146.49 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $142.35 and a 200 day moving average of $142.04. The company has a market cap of $9.88 billion, a PE ratio of 12.28 and a beta of 0.86. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $114.73 and a 12 month high of $162.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

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

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Wintrust Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.44%.

Wintrust Financial 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.

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