Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) Insider Richard Murphy Sells 3,291 Shares

Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) insider Richard Murphy sold 3,291 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.05, for a total transaction of $480,650.55. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 46,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,725,456.45. This represents a 6.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WTFC opened at $147.49 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $142.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $134.76. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $89.10 and a 12 month high of $155.99.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $3.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.22. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 19.48%.The firm had revenue of $586.67 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $700.85 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.63 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 10.36 EPS for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 5th. Wintrust Financial’s payout ratio is presently 19.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WTFC. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Wintrust Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 196.0% in the second quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 296 shares of the bank’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 75.3% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 312 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WTFC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $170.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Stephens boosted their target price on Wintrust Financial from $158.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on Wintrust Financial from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wintrust Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $164.42.

Wintrust Financial News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Wintrust Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wintrust raised its quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.55 (ex?dividend and record dates set in early February), boosting the annualized payout to $2.20 and signaling confidence in capital/earnings. A higher dividend can support the share price and attract income investors. Dividend & company update
• Positive Sentiment: Several sell?side firms raised price targets and maintained buy/overweight ratings (Piper Sandler, TD Cowen, Barclays, Citi), lifting the consensus target above the current market level and supporting upside expectations. Analyst optimism can lift demand and limit downside. Analyst coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings were mixed: Q4 EPS beat estimates ($3.15 vs. $2.93) but revenue came in well below consensus. Profitability metrics (net margin ~19.5%, ROE ~13%) remain solid, but the revenue miss could temper enthusiasm until management explains drivers. Earnings release
• Negative Sentiment: Substantial insider selling occurred on Jan. 29: EVP Kathleen Boege sold 5,000 shares (~$731.9k), director Richard Murphy sold 3,291 shares (~$480.7k), CFO David Stoehr sold 2,499 shares (~$365.3k), plus smaller EVP sales. Multiple executives trimming positions (single?day, material percentages for some) can be perceived negatively by the market even if motivated by diversification or tax planning. TipRanks summary of insider activity SEC filing (Murphy)

About Wintrust Financial

Wintrust Financial Corporation is a Chicago?area bank holding company headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois. Through its primary subsidiary, Wintrust Bank, the company operates a network of community banks serving metropolitan Chicago and select markets in southeastern Wisconsin. These locally branded banks provide personalized commercial and consumer banking solutions tailored to small and mid?size businesses, professionals, and individual clients.

The firm’s core offerings include deposit products, commercial and residential lending, treasury management, and mortgage banking services.