Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) Announces Earnings Results

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The bank reported $2.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.47, Briefing.com reports. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 13.23% and a net margin of 18.71%. The firm had revenue of $604.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.80 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Wintrust Financial Price Performance

Wintrust Financial stock opened at $94.96 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $5.86 billion, a PE ratio of 9.91 and a beta of 1.21. Wintrust Financial has a 12 month low of $58.12 and a 12 month high of $105.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $98.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $90.54.

Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 8th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 7th. This is an increase from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.90%. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wintrust Financial

In other Wintrust Financial news, insider Edward J. Wehmer sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.36, for a total value of $943,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 177,124 shares in the company, valued at $17,599,040.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Jeffrey D. Hahnfeld sold 588 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.88, for a total transaction of $57,553.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,410 shares in the company, valued at $333,770.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward J. Wehmer sold 9,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.36, for a total value of $943,920.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 177,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,599,040.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.47% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WTFC. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 3.9% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 11,802 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,095,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Wintrust Financial by 12.8% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,475 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its stake in Wintrust Financial by 1.5% in the first quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 16,809 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,562,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Wintrust Financial by 33.4% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 36,861 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,425,000 after acquiring an additional 9,235 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its stake in Wintrust Financial by 10.5% in the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 20,892 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,941,000 after acquiring an additional 1,992 shares during the period. 93.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WTFC shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group upped their price target on Wintrust Financial from $105.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. StockNews.com cut Wintrust Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 31st. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $111.00 to $117.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Raymond James upped their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Wintrust Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.83.

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.