StockNews.com Downgrades Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) to Sell

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. UBS Group began coverage on Wintrust Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $157.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $126.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up previously from $135.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $152.00 target price on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $151.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $133.69.

Wintrust Financial Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of WTFC stock opened at $132.83 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 1.20. Wintrust Financial has a 1 year low of $89.68 and a 1 year high of $142.04. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $131.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $117.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $2.63 earnings per share (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 in the prior year, the business posted $1.87 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Wintrust Financial will post 10.17 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO David L. Stoehr sold 2,363 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.32, for a total transaction of $310,309.16. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 19,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,607,752.56. This represents a 10.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Richard B. Murphy sold 3,186 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 48,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,409,278.20. The trade was a 6.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,178 shares of company stock worth $1,336,315 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.47% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wintrust Financial

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WTFC. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,049 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,200,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Wintrust Financial by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 2,569 shares of the bank's stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Shaker Investments LLC OH raised its stake in Wintrust Financial by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Shaker Investments LLC OH now owns 28,928 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,140,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in Wintrust Financial by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,500 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,307,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in Wintrust Financial by 2.8% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,859 shares of the bank's stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. 93.48% of the stock is currently 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.