Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Acquires New Shares in Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC

Key Points

• Vaughan Nelson Investment Management opened a new position in Wintrust Financial, buying 246,665 shares valued at about $34.3 million in the first quarter.
• Wintrust Financial has continued to draw interest from analysts, with several firms raising price targets; the stock now carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $168.92.
• The bank reported solid quarterly results, posting EPS of $3.22 versus expectations of $2.96 and revenue of $713.17 million, while also paying a quarterly dividend of $0.55 per share.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 246,665 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $34,272,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned 0.37% of Wintrust Financial at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WTFC. Choreo LLC grew its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 2,121 shares of the bank's stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the bank's stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 8,914 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Wintrust Financial by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 3,730 shares of the bank's stock worth $494,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in Wintrust Financial by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,748 shares of the bank's stock worth $944,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.48% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WTFC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stephens initiated coverage on Wintrust Financial in a research report on Friday, March 27th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $160.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $178.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $168.92.

Insider Transactions at Wintrust Financial

In other news, Director Suzet M. Mckinney sold 500 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.96, for a total value of $74,480.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,303 shares in the company, valued at approximately $492,014.88. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO David L. Stoehr sold 3,020 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.45, for a total value of $454,359.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,987,895.85. This trade represents a 18.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,099 shares of company stock worth $1,954,386. Company insiders own 1.24% of the company's stock.

Wintrust Financial Price Performance

WTFC stock opened at $154.11 on Monday. 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 one year low of $119.05 and a one year high of $162.96. The stock has a market cap of $10.39 billion, a PE ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.98.

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

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. 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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