Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) Stock Position Boosted by Federated Hermes Inc.

Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its stake in Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 788,615 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 11,969 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in Wintrust Financial were worth $73,144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 106.2% during the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 365 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 120.8% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 351 shares of the bank’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Wintrust Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 36.1% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 663 shares of the bank’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.48% of the company’s stock.

Wintrust Financial Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ WTFC opened at $95.30 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.88 billion, a PE ratio of 9.86 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a fifty day moving average of $98.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $90.57. Wintrust Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $58.12 and a 52-week high of $105.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The bank reported $2.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.47. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 13.29% and a net margin of 17.86%. The company had revenue of $604.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $577.80 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Wintrust Financial Co. will post 9.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, February 8th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. This is a boost from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 7th. Wintrust Financial’s payout ratio is currently 18.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on WTFC. Barclays began coverage on Wintrust Financial in a report on Friday, March 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on Wintrust Financial from $105.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Wintrust Financial from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Wintrust Financial from $103.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 19th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Wintrust Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $113.33.

Insider Activity at Wintrust Financial

In related news, insider Edward J. Wehmer sold 9,500 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.36, for a total value of $943,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 177,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,599,040.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Edward J. Wehmer sold 9,500 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.36, for a total value of $943,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 177,124 shares in the company, valued at $17,599,040.64. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jeffrey D. Hahnfeld sold 588 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.88, for a total value of $57,553.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 3,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $333,770.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Wintrust Financial

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.