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Is Wintrust Financial (WTFC) a Good Pick for Value Investors?
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Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Wintrust Financial Corporation (WTFC - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, Wintrust Financial has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 11.63, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 17.32. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Wintrust Financial’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years.
Further, the stock’s PE compares favorably with the Zacks Finance sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 13.90. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Wintrust Financial has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 10.73, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Wintrust Financial stock in the near term too.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, Wintrust Financial has a P/S ratio of about 2.49. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.10 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, WTFC is near the lower end of its range in the time period from a P/S metric, suggesting some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Wintrust Financial currently has a Value Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Wintrust Financial a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for Wintrust Financial is just 0.79, a level that is bit lower than the industry average of 1.38. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Additionally, the P/CF ratio for Wintrust Financial came in at 9.58, which is a far lower than the industry average of 10.15. Clearly, WTFC is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Wintrust Financial might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth Score of D and a Momentum Score of B. This gives WTFC a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of C. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current quarter has seen four estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to one lower, while the current year estimate has seen five upward revision compared to two downward in the same time period.
This has had a positive impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter consensus estimate has increased by 1.8% in the past two months, while the current year estimate has risen by 0.8%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Wintrust Financial Corporation Price and Consensus
Despite this positive trend, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which indicates expectations of in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Wintrust Financial is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible line up of statistics on this front.
However, with a sluggish industry rank (among bottom 43% of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the Zacks Banks - Midwest industry has clearly underperformed the market at large, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for industry trends to turn favorable in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
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Research indicates one sector is poised to deliver a crop of the best-performing stocks you'll find anywhere in the market. Breaking news in this space frequently creates quick double- and triple-digit profit opportunities.
These companies are changing the world – and owning their stocks could transform your portfolio in 2019 and beyond. Recent trades from this sector have generated +98%, +119% and +164% gains in as little as 1 month.
Image: Bigstock
Is Wintrust Financial (WTFC) a Good Pick for Value Investors?
Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Wintrust Financial Corporation (WTFC - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, Wintrust Financial has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 11.63, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 17.32. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Wintrust Financial’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years.
Further, the stock’s PE compares favorably with the Zacks Finance sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 13.90. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Wintrust Financial has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 10.73, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Wintrust Financial stock in the near term too.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, Wintrust Financial has a P/S ratio of about 2.49. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.10 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, WTFC is near the lower end of its range in the time period from a P/S metric, suggesting some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Wintrust Financial currently has a Value Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Wintrust Financial a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for Wintrust Financial is just 0.79, a level that is bit lower than the industry average of 1.38. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Additionally, the P/CF ratio for Wintrust Financial came in at 9.58, which is a far lower than the industry average of 10.15. Clearly, WTFC is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Wintrust Financial might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth Score of D and a Momentum Score of B. This gives WTFC a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of C. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current quarter has seen four estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to one lower, while the current year estimate has seen five upward revision compared to two downward in the same time period.
This has had a positive impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter consensus estimate has increased by 1.8% in the past two months, while the current year estimate has risen by 0.8%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Wintrust Financial Corporation Price and Consensus
Wintrust Financial Corporation price-consensus-chart | Wintrust Financial Corporation Quote
Despite this positive trend, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which indicates expectations of in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Wintrust Financial is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible line up of statistics on this front.
However, with a sluggish industry rank (among bottom 43% of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the Zacks Banks - Midwest industry has clearly underperformed the market at large, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for industry trends to turn favorable in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
The Could Be the Fastest Way to Grow Wealth in 2019
Research indicates one sector is poised to deliver a crop of the best-performing stocks you'll find anywhere in the market. Breaking news in this space frequently creates quick double- and triple-digit profit opportunities.
These companies are changing the world – and owning their stocks could transform your portfolio in 2019 and beyond. Recent trades from this sector have generated +98%, +119% and +164% gains in as little as 1 month.
Click here to see these breakthrough stocks now >>