Kennedy Capital Management LLC Purchases 16,052 Shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC

Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 236,060 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,052 shares during the period. Wintrust Financial accounts for 0.7% of Kennedy Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned 0.35% of Wintrust Financial worth $33,006,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,992,906 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $263,940,000 after purchasing an additional 102,833 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 27.1% during the 3rd quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 572,816 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $75,864,000 after purchasing an additional 122,221 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $14,094,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 86,852 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $11,503,000 after acquiring an additional 11,420 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $59,287,000. 93.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Friday, March 27th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $160.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $188.00 price target (up from $184.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays lifted 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. Finally, TD Cowen lifted 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.92.

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTFC opened at $159.26 on Friday. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 52 week low of $116.57 and a 52 week high of $162.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.35 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $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.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 20.11% and a return on equity of 13.15%. The business had revenue of $713.17 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $707.23 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 13.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO David L. Stoehr sold 3,020 shares of Wintrust Financial 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,987,895.85. The trade was a 18.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $1,425,546.78. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 179,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,759,324.20. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,099 shares of company stock valued at $1,954,386. Company insiders own 1.24% of the company’s stock.

Wintrust Financial Company 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.