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

Shares of Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Wintrust Financial from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays increased their target price on Wintrust Financial from $130.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Wintrust Financial from $126.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Wintrust Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.00.

Wintrust Financial Stock Down 2.6 %

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $8.87 billion, a PE ratio of 13.97 and a beta of 1.20.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.11. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 11.99% and a net margin of 16.52%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.87 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Wintrust Financial Co. will post 10.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 7th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 7th. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wintrust Financial

In other news, COO David A. Dykstra sold 15,492 shares of the company’s 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 owns 197,591 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,817,808.68. This represents a 7.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Richard B. Murphy sold 4,099 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.63, for a total value of $473,967.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 42,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,892,420.93. The trade was a 8.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,198 shares of company stock valued at $2,445,314 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.47% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Wintrust Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial in the third quarter worth $61,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 32.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 539 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 77.9% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 653 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.