Verition Fund Management LLC Sells 34,656 Shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC

Verition Fund Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) by 14.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 203,554 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 34,656 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC owned 0.30% of Wintrust Financial worth $28,461,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WTFC. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Wintrust Financial by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,992,906 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $263,940,000 after buying an additional 102,833 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC raised its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,442,018 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $190,981,000 after acquiring an additional 8,048 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,273,042 shares of the bank’s stock worth $178,038,000 after acquiring an additional 16,997 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,071,763 shares of the bank’s stock worth $141,944,000 after acquiring an additional 15,044 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $111,924,000. Institutional investors own 93.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens assumed coverage on Wintrust Financial in a research note on Friday, March 27th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $160.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $178.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.92.

Insider Activity at Wintrust Financial

In other Wintrust Financial news, Director Suzet M. Mckinney sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.96, for a total transaction of $74,480.00. Following the sale, the director owned 3,303 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $492,014.88. This represents a 13.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO David L. Stoehr sold 3,020 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.45, for a total transaction of $454,359.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,987,895.85. The trade was a 18.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 13,099 shares of company stock valued at $1,954,386 over the last ninety days. 1.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wintrust Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ:WTFC opened at $159.26 on Monday. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $116.57 and a 12 month high of $162.96. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $148.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.27. 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 $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 13.35 and a beta of 0.85.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The bank reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.26. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 13.15% and a net margin of 20.11%.The business had revenue of $713.17 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $707.23 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. Wintrust Financial’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 13.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were paid a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.44%.

Wintrust Financial 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.