Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $6.87 Million Stake in Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC

Lazard Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) by 24.8% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 49,454 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 16,284 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Wintrust Financial were worth $6,871,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WTFC. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 231.9% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 229 shares of the bank’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Wintrust Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in Wintrust Financial by 72.7% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 240 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Wintrust Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.48% of the company’s stock.

Wintrust Financial Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of WTFC stock opened at $159.65 on Friday. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $119.61 and a 12 month high of $167.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $10.77 billion, a PE ratio of 12.82 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $157.37 and a 200-day moving average of $149.89.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 20th. The bank reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.15. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 20.72% and a return on equity of 13.37%. The business had revenue of $738.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $735.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.78 earnings per share. Wintrust Financial’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 6th will be issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 6th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 17.67%.

Insider Transactions at Wintrust Financial

In other Wintrust Financial news, Director Suzet M. Mckinney sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.96, for a total value of $74,480.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,303 shares in the company, valued at $492,014.88. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WTFC shares. Brean Capital lowered shares of Wintrust Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $186.00 target price on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Citigroup lowered shares of Wintrust Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.77.

Wintrust Financial Company Profile

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.