Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) Shares Sold by Kennedy Capital Management LLC

Kennedy Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) by 29.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 211,228 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 89,034 shares during the period. Wintrust Financial comprises about 0.6% of Kennedy Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Kennedy Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Wintrust Financial were worth $26,342,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WTFC. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 63.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 376 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Wintrust Financial by 32.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 539 shares of the bank’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 677 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Wintrust Financial by 920.9% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 684 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WTFC opened at $104.13 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $117.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Wintrust Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $89.10 and a 12 month high of $142.04.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 earned $1.87 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Wintrust Financial Co. will post 10.36 EPS for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 8th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 8th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 19.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WTFC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Wintrust Financial from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $157.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $152.00 target price on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Wintrust Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, Truist Financial raised Wintrust Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wintrust Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Wintrust Financial news, EVP Jeffrey D. Hahnfeld sold 416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.95, for a total transaction of $54,475.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $298,042.20. This trade represents a 15.45 % 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, insider Richard B. Murphy sold 3,186 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.30, for a total value of $418,321.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 48,814 shares in the company, valued at $6,409,278.20. This trade represents a 6.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,178 shares of company stock valued at $1,336,315. Corporate insiders own 1.47% of the company’s stock.

Wintrust Financial 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.