Simplicity Wealth LLC Acquires 5,008 Shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC

Key Points

• Simplicity Wealth LLC significantly increased its stake in Wintrust Financial Corporation by 99.3% during the second quarter, now holding a total of 10,050 shares valued at approximately $1.25 million.
• Several research firms have recently upgraded Wintrust Financial's stock, with Jefferies Financial Group raising its price target to $165.00 and maintaining a "buy" rating.
• Wintrust Financial announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.5%.

Simplicity Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC - Free Report) by 99.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,050 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 5,008 shares during the period. Simplicity Wealth LLC's holdings in Wintrust Financial were worth $1,246,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Park Place Capital Corp grew its stake in Wintrust Financial by 1,264.7% in the first quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 232 shares of the bank's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Wintrust Financial in the first quarter worth about $27,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 52.9% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 289 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors own 93.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on WTFC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $130.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Cowen initiated coverage on Wintrust Financial in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and set a $157.00 target price (up from $155.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Wintrust Financial from $137.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Wintrust Financial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $148.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wintrust Financial

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

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WTFC stock opened at $132.64 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $132.11 and a 200 day moving average of $122.95. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 1 year low of $89.10 and a 1 year high of $142.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.55 and a beta of 0.83.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 18.06%.The business had revenue of $670.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.43 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.32 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

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

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.

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