Key Points
- Insider sale: EVP/director Richard Murphy sold 3,291 shares on Jan. 29 at $146.05 for about $480,650, reducing his stake by 6.67% to 46,049 shares (≈$6.73M).
- Dividend raised: Wintrust increased its quarterly dividend to $0.55 from $0.50 (annualized $2.20, ~1.5% yield), with an ex‑dividend date of Feb. 5 and payment on Feb. 19.
- Mixed Q4 results: Q4 EPS beat at $3.15 versus $2.93 consensus, but revenue missed badly ($586.7M vs. $700.9M), even as profitability metrics remained solid (net margin ≈19.5%, ROE ≈13%).
Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) insider Richard Murphy sold 3,291 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.05, for a total transaction of $480,650.55. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 46,049 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,725,456.45. The trade was a 6.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.
Wintrust Financial Trading Down 0.3%
Shares of WTFC stock opened at $147.49 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $9.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a 50 day moving average of $142.22 and a 200-day moving average of $134.76. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 12-month low of $89.10 and a 12-month high of $155.99.
Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $3.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $586.67 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $700.85 million. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 19.48%.During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.63 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current year.
Wintrust Financial Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th will be paid a $0.55 dividend. This is an increase from Wintrust Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 5th. Wintrust Financial's payout ratio is 19.30%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wintrust Financial
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 17,226 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,409,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC now owns 65,833 shares of the bank's stock worth $9,205,000 after purchasing an additional 22,641 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 17,021 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,380,000 after purchasing an additional 551 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in Wintrust Financial by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 9,958 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,392,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Wintrust Financial News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Wintrust Financial this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Wintrust raised its quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.55 (ex‑dividend and record dates set in early February), boosting the annualized payout to $2.20 and signaling confidence in capital/earnings. A higher dividend can support the share price and attract income investors. Dividend & company update
- Positive Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms raised price targets and maintained buy/overweight ratings (Piper Sandler, TD Cowen, Barclays, Citi), lifting the consensus target above the current market level and supporting upside expectations. Analyst optimism can lift demand and limit downside. Analyst coverage
- Neutral Sentiment: Earnings were mixed: Q4 EPS beat estimates ($3.15 vs. $2.93) but revenue came in well below consensus. Profitability metrics (net margin ~19.5%, ROE ~13%) remain solid, but the revenue miss could temper enthusiasm until management explains drivers. Earnings release
- Negative Sentiment: Substantial insider selling occurred on Jan. 29: EVP Kathleen Boege sold 5,000 shares (~$731.9k), director Richard Murphy sold 3,291 shares (~$480.7k), CFO David Stoehr sold 2,499 shares (~$365.3k), plus smaller EVP sales. Multiple executives trimming positions (single‑day, material percentages for some) can be perceived negatively by the market even if motivated by diversification or tax planning. TipRanks summary of insider activity SEC filing (Murphy)
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Wintrust Financial from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Wintrust Financial from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Wintrust Financial has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $164.42.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on WTFC
About Wintrust Financial
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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