Brokerages Set Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) Price Target at $145.77

Key Points

• Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) has received an average consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from thirteen analysts, with a price target of approximately $145.77.
• Analysts like Royal Bank Of Canada and Raymond James Financial have increased their price targets for Wintrust, with recent estimates reaching as high as $158.00.
• The company recently reported strong earnings, with $2.78 earnings per share, exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.59, alongside a quarterly dividend of $0.50.

Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $147.3077.

A number of research firms have commented on WTFC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective 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. DA Davidson upped their target price on Wintrust Financial from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $162.00 price target (up previously from $145.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Wintrust Financial from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and set a $157.00 price objective (up previously from $155.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd.

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ WTFC traded down $0.28 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $139.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 438,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 353,063. 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 $9.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.20 and a beta of 0.87. Wintrust Financial has a 12 month low of $89.10 and a 12 month high of $142.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $131.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $120.33.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The bank reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.19. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 18.06% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The company had revenue of $670.78 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $661.43 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial will post 10.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 7th. Wintrust Financial's dividend payout ratio is 18.92%.

Insider Activity at Wintrust Financial

In other Wintrust Financial news, COO David A. Dykstra sold 14,942 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.53, for a total value of $1,965,321.26. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 182,208 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,965,818.24. This trade represents a 7.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Edward J. Wehmer purchased 3,919 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $26.35 per share, for a total transaction of $103,265.65. Following the purchase, the insider owned 3,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,265.65. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 1.01% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Wintrust Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in Wintrust Financial by 14.3% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 689 shares of the bank's stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 19.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 600 shares of the bank's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 28.2% in the 2nd 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 grew its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 19,896 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,238,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 0.5% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.