Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Jefferies Financial Group Analyst Says

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group has raised the price target for Wintrust Financial from $150.00 to $165.00, indicating a potential upside of 20.65% from the current stock price.
• The company beat consensus estimates for earnings per share in its latest quarterly report, posting $2.78 compared to an expected $2.59.
• Several brokerages have recently upgraded their ratings and price targets for Wintrust Financial, with an average price target now standing at $147.31.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Free Report) had its target price boosted by Jefferies Financial Group from $150.00 to $165.00 in a research note released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the bank's stock.

WTFC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $160.00 price objective (up previously from $141.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $137.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $157.00 price objective (up previously from $155.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Wintrust Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wintrust Financial has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $147.31.

Wintrust Financial Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:WTFC traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $139.53. 438,311 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 353,063. Wintrust Financial has a twelve month low of $89.10 and a twelve month high of $142.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $131.12 and a 200 day moving average of $120.33. The stock has a market cap of $9.34 billion, a PE ratio of 13.20 and a beta of 0.87.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The bank reported $2.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.19. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 18.06%.The firm had revenue of $670.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.32 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Wintrust Financial will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, August 7th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 7th. Wintrust Financial's dividend payout ratio is 18.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO David A. Dykstra sold 14,942 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $23,965,818.24. This represents a 7.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Edward J. Wehmer purchased 3,919 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $103,265.65. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.01% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 43.3% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 349,983 shares of the bank's stock worth $39,359,000 after buying an additional 105,754 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,426 shares of the bank's stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Wintrust Financial during the 1st quarter worth $297,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 24.5% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 19,663 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,211,000 after buying an additional 3,873 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 87.9% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 25,049 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,817,000 after buying an additional 11,719 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.48% of the company's stock.

About Wintrust Financial

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.