Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC Shares Purchased by Nicholas Investment Partners LP

Nicholas Investment Partners LP boosted its holdings in Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 117,590 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,917 shares during the period. Wintrust Financial accounts for approximately 1.2% of Nicholas Investment Partners LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Nicholas Investment Partners LP’s holdings in Wintrust Financial were worth $16,441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTFC. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Wintrust Financial in the first quarter worth $27,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 49.0% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,019 shares of the bank’s stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 7.2% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 179,430 shares of the bank’s stock worth $20,179,000 after purchasing an additional 12,103 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 400.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 400 shares of the bank’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 1.6% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 23,120 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,866,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.48% of the company’s stock.

Wintrust Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WTFC opened at $159.26 on Friday. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $116.57 and a fifty-two week high of $162.96. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $148.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.18. 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 stock has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.35 and a beta of 0.84.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 20th. The bank reported $3.22 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $713.17 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $707.23 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 13.07 EPS for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Suzet M. Mckinney sold 500 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.96, for a total value of $74,480.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,303 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $492,014.88. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO David A. Dykstra sold 9,579 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.82, for a total value of $1,425,546.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 179,810 shares in the company, valued at $26,759,324.20. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,099 shares of company stock valued at $1,954,386. 1.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on WTFC shares. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. TD Cowen raised their target price on Wintrust Financial from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $170.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective 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, Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Friday, March 27th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $160.00 price objective on the stock. 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Wintrust Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $168.92.

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.