Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from 15 ratings firms, with a 1-year target price averaging $148.64.
• The company reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, surpassing expectations and marking a year-over-year increase from $2.32 EPS.
• Wintrust Financial announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.5% and a payout ratio of 18.92%.

Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $148.6429.

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Thursday. They set a "buy" rating and a $166.00 target price for the company. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Truist Financial upped their target price on Wintrust Financial from $137.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Wintrust Financial from $130.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $157.00 price target (up from $155.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd.

Wintrust Financial Stock Up 0.3%

WTFC stock opened at $134.04 on Friday. Wintrust Financial has a 1-year low of $89.10 and a 1-year high of $142.04. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $132.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.97 billion, a PE ratio of 12.68 and a beta of 0.87.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The bank reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.32 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial will post 10.36 EPS for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 7th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Wintrust Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.92%.

Insider Activity

In other Wintrust Financial news, insider Edward J. Wehmer purchased 3,919 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $26.35 per share, with a total value of $103,265.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,919 shares in the company, valued at $103,265.65. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO David A. Dykstra sold 14,942 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 182,208 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,965,818.24. This represents a 7.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.01% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTFC. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 14.3% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 689 shares of the bank's stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 19.0% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 600 shares of the bank's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Wintrust Financial by 28.2% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 450 shares of the bank's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA lifted its position in Wintrust Financial by 0.5% during the first quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 19,896 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,238,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Wintrust Financial by 0.5% during the first quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,600 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,092,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.48% of the company's stock.

Wintrust Financial Company 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.

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