Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts are constructive on Wintrust Financial, with 13 brokerages giving it a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy.” The average 12-month price target is about $168.92, above the stock’s recent trading level.
• Recent earnings came in ahead of expectations, as the bank reported EPS of $3.22 versus the $2.96 consensus estimate. Quarterly revenue also edged past forecasts and rose 10.9% from a year earlier.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including transactions by a director and the CFO, with $1.95 million in insider stock sales over the last 90 days. Despite that, institutional investors still own the vast majority of the company’s stock at 93.48%.

Shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $168.9167.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $170.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $178.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price 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. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $176.00 target price on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wintrust Financial news, Director Suzet M. Mckinney sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.96, for a total transaction of $74,480.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,303 shares in the company, valued at approximately $492,014.88. This represents a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO David L. Stoehr sold 3,020 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.45, for a total transaction of $454,359.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,987,895.85. The trade was a 18.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,099 shares of company stock worth $1,954,386. Insiders own 1.24% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Wintrust Financial during the first quarter worth $27,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Wintrust Financial during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 231.9% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 229 shares of the bank's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 72.7% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 240 shares of the bank's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Wintrust Financial during the first quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.48% of the company's stock.

Wintrust Financial Trading Down 1.4%

NASDAQ:WTFC opened at $148.02 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.98. Wintrust Financial has a 52 week low of $116.57 and a 52 week high of $162.96. The firm's fifty day moving average is $146.23 and its 200-day moving average is $143.96. The firm has a market cap of $9.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.41 and a beta of 0.84.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The bank reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.26. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 20.11% and a return on equity of 13.15%. The company had revenue of $713.17 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $707.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. Wintrust Financial's quarterly revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Wintrust Financial will post 13.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Wintrust Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.44%.

Wintrust Financial Company 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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