Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) Trading Down 4.6% – Here’s Why

Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) shares dropped 4.6% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $129.61 and last traded at $130.62. Approximately 222,431 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 442,830 shares. The stock had previously closed at $136.92.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WTFC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $152.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Thursday. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Wintrust Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. DA Davidson increased their price target on Wintrust Financial from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $126.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.69.

Wintrust Financial Stock Down 0.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $8.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50 day moving average is $131.10 and its 200 day moving average is $116.44.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.11. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 17.52% and a return on equity of 12.60%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.87 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial Co. will post 10.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 6th. This is a boost from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO David A. Dykstra sold 15,492 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.48, for a total value of $1,789,016.16. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 197,591 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,817,808.68. This represents a 7.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Richard B. Murphy sold 4,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.63, for a total transaction of $473,967.37. Following the sale, the insider now owns 42,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,892,420.93. This trade represents a 8.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake in Wintrust Financial by 13.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 4,666 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $459,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Wintrust Financial by 910.1% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 20,181 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,976,000 after buying an additional 18,183 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Wintrust Financial during the second quarter worth about $265,000. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Wintrust Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $446,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 25.2% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 148,151 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $14,602,000 after acquiring an additional 29,839 shares during the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.