Wintrust Financial Corporation (WTFC) Hits Fresh High: Is There Still Room to Run?

Have you been paying attention to shares of Wintrust Financial (WTFC)? Shares have been on the move with the stock up 7.4% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $163.36 in the previous session. Wintrust has gained 15.8% since the start of the year compared to the 3.2% move for the Zacks Finance sector and the 6.9% return for the Zacks Banks - Midwest industry.What's Driving the Outperformance?The stock has an impressive record of positive earnings surprises, having beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on April 20, 2026, Wintrust reported EPS of $3.22 versus consensus estimate of $2.96.For the current fiscal year, Wintrust is expected to post earnings of $13.09 per share on $2.96 in revenues. This represents a 12.07% change in EPS on a 8.59% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $13.93 per share on $3.13 in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of 6.42% and 5.82%, respectively.Valuation MetricsWintrust may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company has run ahead of itself.On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as these give investors a variety of ways to comb through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). These styles are represented by grades running from A to F in the categories of Value, Growth, and Momentum, while there is a combined VGM Score as well. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.Wintrust has a Value Score of B. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are C and A, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of A.In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 12.4X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is a premium to the peer industry average of 11.2X. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 11.4X versus its peer group's average of 11X. This isn't enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective.Zacks RankWe also need to look at the Zacks Rank for the stock, as this is even more important than the company's VGM Score. Fortunately, Wintrust currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) thanks to a solid earnings estimate revision trend.Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if Wintrust fits the bill. Thus, it seems as though Wintrust shares could still be poised for more gains ahead.How Does WTFC Stack Up to the Competition?Shares of WTFC have been soaring, and the company still appears to be a decent choice, but what about the rest of the industry? One industry peer that looks good is UMB Financial Corporation (UMBF). UMBF has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value Score of B, a Growth Score of D, and a Momentum Score of A.Earnings were strong last quarter. UMB Financial Corporation beat our consensus estimate by 20.92%, and for the current fiscal year, UMBF is expected to post earnings of $12.76 per share on revenue of $2.97 billion.Shares of UMB Financial Corporation have gained 9.2% over the past month, and currently trade at a forward P/E of 11.24X and a P/CF of 11.04X.The Banks - Midwest industry is in the top 32% of all the industries we have in our universe, so it looks like there are some nice tailwinds for WTFC and UMBF, even beyond their own solid fundamental situation.Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is HereThe AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.See Stocks Now >>This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks