Sapience Investments LLC Sells 5,960 Shares of Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC)

Sapience Investments LLC trimmed its position in Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC - Free Report) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,108 shares of the bank's stock after selling 5,960 shares during the quarter. Wintrust Financial makes up approximately 2.3% of Sapience Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Sapience Investments LLC's holdings in Wintrust Financial were worth $4,004,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WTFC. Earnest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $163,767,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Wintrust Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $94,906,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Wintrust Financial by 261.4% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 698,628 shares of the bank's stock worth $87,126,000 after purchasing an additional 505,293 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $51,754,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 36.5% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,263,837 shares of the bank's stock valued at $157,613,000 after purchasing an additional 337,763 shares during the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTFC traded up $0.64 during trading on Thursday, hitting $118.77. 148,902 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 424,144. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $110.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $122.08. The company has a market cap of $7.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.51 and a beta of 0.81. Wintrust Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $89.10 and a 52-week high of $142.04. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The bank reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.17. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 17.52%. The company had revenue of $643.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $643.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.89 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Wintrust Financial Co. will post 10.36 EPS for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 8th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 8th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. Wintrust Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WTFC. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $150.00 to $137.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Piper Sandler reiterated an "above average" rating on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Hovde Group boosted their target price 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. Finally, Stephens dropped their target price on Wintrust Financial from $145.00 to $132.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $135.77.

Wintrust Financial Profile

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.