Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) Insider Sells $418,321.80 in Stock

Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) insider Richard B. Murphy sold 3,186 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.30, for a total value of $418,321.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 48,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,409,278.20. This trade represents a 6.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Wintrust Financial Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of WTFC stock opened at $131.89 on Friday. Wintrust Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $89.68 and a 52-week high of $142.04. The stock has a market cap of $8.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.79 and a beta of 1.20. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $131.07 and its 200-day moving average is $117.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.11. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 17.52%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.87 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Wintrust Financial Co. will post 10.17 EPS for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 6th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 6th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. This is a positive change from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 19.40%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WTFC. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Wintrust Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 62.0% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 512 shares of the bank’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial in the third quarter valued at about $61,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 32.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 539 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 77.9% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 653 shares of the bank’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on WTFC shares. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $151.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $152.00 target price on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Wintrust Financial from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Truist Financial upgraded Wintrust Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.69.

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.