Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) Hits New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFC) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $89.10 and last traded at $91.50, with a volume of 228982 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $99.91.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on WTFC shares. StockNews.com downgraded Wintrust Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $151.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $152.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price (up previously from $135.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Wintrust Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.69.

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $6.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.34 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $120.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $122.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.11. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 17.52% and a return on equity of 12.60%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.87 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Wintrust Financial Co. will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.40%.

Insider Transactions at Wintrust Financial

In related news, insider Richard B. Murphy sold 3,186 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.30, for a total value of $418,321.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 48,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,409,278.20. The trade was a 6.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO David A. Dykstra sold 4,213 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.31, for a total value of $553,209.03. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 206,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,088,465.14. This trade represents a 2.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 10,178 shares of company stock worth $1,336,315. 1.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $516,000. GTS Securities LLC bought a new position in Wintrust Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $334,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 167,327 shares of the bank’s stock worth $20,867,000 after buying an additional 27,892 shares during the last quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Wintrust Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $258,000. Finally, Snowden Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Wintrust Financial by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,214 shares of the bank’s stock worth $526,000 after acquiring an additional 398 shares during the period. 93.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.