Premier Fund Managers Ltd Has $49.72 Million Stock Holdings in Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC

Premier Fund Managers Ltd trimmed its position in Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) by 7.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 374,994 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 29,128 shares during the quarter. Wintrust Financial comprises approximately 2.0% of Premier Fund Managers Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Premier Fund Managers Ltd’s holdings in Wintrust Financial were worth $49,720,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 75.3% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 312 shares of the bank’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. 93.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO David L. Stoehr sold 2,499 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.16, for a total transaction of $365,253.84. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,638 shares in the company, valued at $2,724,130.08. The trade was a 11.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David Eric Lee sold 558 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.42, for a total transaction of $82,260.36. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,371,250.70. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,662 shares of company stock valued at $1,705,730. 1.01% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wintrust Financial Stock Up 1.8%

Wintrust Financial stock opened at $156.30 on Friday. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $89.10 and a fifty-two week high of $162.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $147.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.38. The stock has a market cap of $10.47 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71 and a beta of 0.88.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.22. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 19.48% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business had revenue of $714.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $700.85 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.63 EPS. Research analysts predict that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 10.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th were issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from Wintrust Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 19.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $167.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $170.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.31.

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.