Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) Insider Edward J. Wehmer Acquires 417 Shares

Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) insider Edward J. Wehmer purchased 417 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $25.16 per share, with a total value of $10,491.72. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,302.56. This represents a 19.87 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Wintrust Financial Price Performance

Wintrust Financial stock traded down $1.15 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $130.04. 293,406 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 467,056. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $130.23 and its 200-day moving average is $118.25. Wintrust Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $90.29 and a 12 month high of $142.04. The stock has a market cap of $8.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.61 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last posted 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 posted $1.87 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial Co. will post 10.3 EPS for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 6th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. This is a positive change from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 6th. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on Wintrust Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $157.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Wintrust Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $152.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up previously from $135.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Wintrust Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.69.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 17,423 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,173,000 after buying an additional 3,641 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,393 shares of the bank’s stock worth $673,000 after purchasing an additional 842 shares during the period. Inceptionr LLC purchased a new position in Wintrust Financial during the 4th quarter worth $344,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Wintrust Financial during the 4th quarter worth $40,562,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in Wintrust Financial by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 19,291 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,406,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.