Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. Trims Stock Holdings in Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC

Key Points

• Stieven Capital Advisors cut its Wintrust Financial stake by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 10,400 shares and ending with 123,983 shares valued at about $17.3 million.
• Several analysts remain bullish on WTFC, with recent price-target increases from TD Cowen, Barclays, and Citigroup; the stock’s consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average target price of $168.92.
• Wintrust reported better-than-expected Q1 results, posting EPS of $3.22 versus estimates of $2.96 and revenue of $713.17 million, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.55 per share.

Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. decreased its holdings in Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC - Free Report) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 123,983 shares of the bank's stock after selling 10,400 shares during the period. Wintrust Financial accounts for about 3.2% of Stieven Capital Advisors L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. owned 0.19% of Wintrust Financial worth $17,335,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,992,906 shares of the bank's stock worth $263,940,000 after acquiring an additional 102,833 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,442,018 shares of the bank's stock worth $190,981,000 after acquiring an additional 8,048 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,300,234 shares of the bank's stock worth $172,204,000 after acquiring an additional 75,155 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,071,763 shares of the bank's stock worth $141,944,000 after acquiring an additional 15,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,020,660 shares of the bank's stock valued at $135,176,000 after buying an additional 83,826 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WTFC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $178.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $176.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $168.92.

Insider Activity at Wintrust Financial

In related news, CFO David L. Stoehr sold 3,020 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.45, for a total transaction of $454,359.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzet M. Mckinney sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.96, for a total transaction of $74,480.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,303 shares in the company, valued at $492,014.88. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,099 shares of company stock valued at $1,954,386. 1.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wintrust Financial Stock Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:WTFC opened at $149.89 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $143.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.73. The company has a market capitalization of $10.11 billion, a PE ratio of 12.56 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 1-year low of $114.73 and a 1-year high of $162.96.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The bank reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $713.17 million for 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%. The company's revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 13.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

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

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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