Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC Position Boosted by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) by 10.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 123,509 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,273 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.18% of Wintrust Financial worth $16,358,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WTFC. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial in the third quarter worth $27,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial in the first quarter worth $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 196.0% during the second quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 296 shares of the bank’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Wintrust Financial by 75.3% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 312 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 93.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Wintrust Financial from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $161.00 price objective (up previously from $160.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. DA Davidson set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Wintrust Financial from $151.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $175.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.08.

Key Wintrust Financial News

Here are the key news stories impacting Wintrust Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record earnings and EPS beat: Wintrust reported record full‑year net income of $823.8M and Q4 net income of $223.0M; Q4 diluted EPS of $3.15 topped consensus. Management highlighted record net interest income and pre‑tax, pre‑provision income. Wintrust Financial beats Q4 expectations with record net income
• Positive Sentiment: Strong balance‑sheet momentum: Loans and deposits each rose about $1.0B in Q4 (8% and 7% annualized), total assets grew ~9% annualized, and net interest margin ticked up to ~3.52% (3.54% FTE), supporting record net interest income. Those drivers point to continued NII expansion if margins hold. Wintrust Financial Corporation Reports Record Net Income
• Positive Sentiment: 2026 growth target: Management is guiding to mid‑ to high single‑digit loan growth for 2026 while aiming to maintain stable margins — a clear signal they expect organic growth to continue without margin compression. Wintrust targets mid- to high single-digit loan growth for 2026 while maintaining stable margins
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue vs. consensus: Reported quarterly revenue/net revenue was below some Street estimates (company revenue lines driven by NII; non‑interest income was roughly flat), which tempers the beat and may limit upside if non‑interest revenue doesn’t rebound. MarketBeat earnings summary & slide deck
• Neutral Sentiment: Full disclosure and detail available: Management held an earnings call and provided slide deck and a full transcript — useful for investors wanting detail on loan pipelines, margin assumptions and capital deployment. Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Credit and reserve items: Provision for credit losses rose Q/Q (to $27.6M) and non‑performing loans increased modestly (to $185.8M), which investors watch as the economy evolves; slight uptick in NPLs and higher provisions could pressure future results if trends continue. QuiverQuant summary of record net income and credit metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Non‑interest income and expense mix: Mortgage banking revenue slipped and investment‑securities gains were lower; non‑interest expense rose slightly (including OREO adjustments). If fee income stays soft, WTFC’s margin reliance increases and earnings sensitivity to NII/margin changes rises. MSN recap of Q4 profit and income mix

Wintrust Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WTFC opened at $151.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.15 billion, a PE ratio of 13.29 and a beta of 0.88. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 1 year low of $89.10 and a 1 year high of $155.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $139.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.05.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $586.67 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $700.85 million. Wintrust Financial had a net margin of 19.48% and a return on equity of 13.17%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.63 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 10.36 EPS for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Profile

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.