ProShare Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC)

ProShare Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC - Free Report) by 46.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,110 shares of the bank's stock after selling 2,688 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Wintrust Financial were worth $388,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTFC. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 63.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 376 shares of the bank's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $78,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Wintrust Financial by 920.9% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 684 shares of the bank's stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. acquired a new position in Wintrust Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $202,000. 93.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WTFC traded down $0.56 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $119.39. 251,115 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 426,757. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 0.81. Wintrust Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $89.10 and a 1 year high of $142.04. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $111.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $121.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 21st. The bank reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $643.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.11 million. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 17.52%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.89 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial Co. will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 8th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 8th. Wintrust Financial's payout ratio is currently 19.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on WTFC shares. Hovde Group increased their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stephens reduced their price target on Wintrust Financial from $145.00 to $132.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler restated an "above average" rating on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Wintrust Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $135.77.

About Wintrust Financial

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.