Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC Stock Holdings Lessened by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,272,857 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 27,377 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Wintrust Financial were worth $177,975,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new position in Wintrust Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $59,287,000. Horizon Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 79.8% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 33,287 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,654,000 after purchasing an additional 14,776 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 17,226 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,409,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 52.4% during the 4th quarter. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC now owns 65,833 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $9,205,000 after purchasing an additional 22,641 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Institutional investors own 93.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO David A. Dykstra sold 9,579 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.82, for a total value of $1,425,546.78. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 179,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,759,324.20. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO David L. Stoehr sold 3,020 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,987,895.85. This represents a 18.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 1.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Friday, March 27th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $160.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $176.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $188.00 price target (up from $184.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.92.

Wintrust Financial Trading Up 1.0%

NASDAQ:WTFC opened at $150.46 on Wednesday. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $113.39 and a 12 month high of $162.96. The firm has a market cap of $10.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.61 and a beta of 0.86. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $142.12 and its 200-day moving average is $140.86.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The bank reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.26. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 20.11% and a return on equity of 13.15%. The company had revenue of $713.17 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $707.23 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 13.07 EPS for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.44%.

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.