Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. Grows Holdings in Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC)

Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 361,253 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,200 shares during the period. Wintrust Financial accounts for 2.5% of Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd.’s holdings in Wintrust Financial were worth $39,207,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTFC. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 825.0% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 296 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Wintrust Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 62.0% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 512 shares of the bank’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 77.9% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 653 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Wintrust Financial by 62.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 818 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

Shares of WTFC stock opened at $131.12 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $8.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 1.15. The company’s 50 day moving average is $114.26 and its 200 day moving average is $105.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Wintrust Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $82.90 and a 52-week high of $136.08.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 21st. The bank reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.50 by ($0.03). Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 11.99% and a net margin of 16.52%. The company had revenue of $615.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $623.45 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.53 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial Co. will post 10.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 7th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 7th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. Wintrust Financial’s payout ratio is 18.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wintrust Financial

In other Wintrust Financial news, COO David A. Dykstra sold 15,492 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.48, for a total value of $1,789,016.16. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 197,591 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,817,808.68. This represents a 7.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Richard B. Murphy sold 4,099 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.63, for a total transaction of $473,967.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,311 shares in the company, valued at $4,892,420.93. This trade represents a 8.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 21,198 shares of company stock valued at $2,445,314. Corporate insiders own 1.47% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Wintrust Financial from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Raymond James increased their price objective on Wintrust Financial from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Truist Financial raised their price target on Wintrust Financial from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on Wintrust Financial from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.00.

Wintrust Financial Company Profile

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.