Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $143.20 and last traded at $143.0150, with a volume of 31892 shares. The stock had previously closed at $141.03.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WTFC. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $166.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $158.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Wintrust Financial from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.92.

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $130.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $129.48. The firm has a market cap of $9.63 billion, a PE ratio of 13.21 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The bank reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 12.82% and a net margin of 18.85%.The business had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter. Research analysts forecast that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 6th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 6th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Wintrust Financial’s payout ratio is currently 18.38%.

Institutional Trading of Wintrust Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTFC. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Wintrust Financial by 14.3% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 689 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Wintrust Financial by 2.4% in the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 3,730 shares of the bank’s stock worth $494,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Wintrust Financial by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 600 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 28.2% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 450 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 52.9% in the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 289 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.