Brokerages Set Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) Price Target at $128.00

Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) has been given an average rating of “Buy” by the thirteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $133.69.

A number of research firms recently commented on WTFC. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $126.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. 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 research report on Thursday. 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. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Wintrust Financial in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $157.00 price target on the stock.

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WTFC opened at $131.79 on Monday. Wintrust Financial has a 12-month low of $89.68 and a 12-month high of $142.04. The stock has a market cap of $8.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average of $131.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.92.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.87 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Wintrust Financial will post 10.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 6th. Wintrust Financial’s payout ratio is currently 19.40%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Richard B. Murphy sold 4,099 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were 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 $4,892,420.93. This trade represents a 8.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO David A. Dykstra sold 15,492 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.48, for a total transaction of $1,789,016.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 197,591 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,817,808.68. This trade represents a 7.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.47% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial during the third quarter worth about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 62.0% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 512 shares of the bank’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 32.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 539 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 77.9% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 653 shares of the bank’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.48% of the company’s stock.

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.