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CEO, President & Director of Wintrust Financial Timothy Crane Buys 6.0% More Shares \

Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) CEO, President & Director, Timothy Crane, recently bought US$91k worth of stock, for US$60.87 per share. Although the purchase is not a big one, increasing their shareholding by only 6.0%, it can be interpreted as a good sign.

Check out our latest analysis for Wintrust Financial

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Wintrust Financial

The insider Brian Kenney made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$609k worth of shares at a price of US$92.23 each. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$65.78 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 17.20k shares for US$1.4m. On the other hand they divested 5.51k shares, for US$504k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Wintrust Financial insiders. The average buy price was around US$80.04. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price attractive. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

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Wintrust Financial is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Wintrust Financial insiders own about US$51m worth of shares. That equates to 1.3% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Wintrust Financial Insiders?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Wintrust Financial insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. At Simply Wall St, we've found that Wintrust Financial has 2 warning signs (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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