Wintrust Financial Corporation (WTFC): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score

Is WTFC undervalued?

Wintrust Financial Corporation (WTFC) closed at 141.02 on 16 Oct 2026. The GLS average fair value - the simple average of the 9 valuation models that produced a positive number - is 241.84, which puts the price 42% below it. 6 of the 9 models value the shares above the current price. A gap this wide is rare in our universe of ~7,400 US stocks and is exactly what the Value part of the Wheel Score rewards; it is also where the question "why is it this cheap?" matters most.

The 9 models disagree widely: DDM gives 31.64 while 10 Cap gives 571.88. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.

The nightly engine files WTFC under Value: positive earnings at a P/E of 18 or less.

Nine valuation models for WTFC

Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.

Quality and financial health

On financial health WTFC scores 7/9 (Piotroski): most of the nine tests - positive earnings and cash flow, falling debt, rising margins and turnover - are passed, which is the kind of balance sheet a wheel trader is happy to be assigned. The GLS Moat score is 5.5 out of 10: a ten-year record that is consistent in some of the metrics the score tracks (revenue, earnings, margins, cash flow, returns on capital) and patchy in others.

Returns on capital are moderate - ROIC 7.0%, ROE 11.3%, ROA 1.2% - with debt at 0.62 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 16.8%.

The dividend yield is 1.52% at a payout ratio of 20%; for a wheel trader holding assigned shares the dividend adds to the covered-call premium, and the ex-dividend date is worth knowing before a call is sold. Revenue comes mainly from Wealth Management 37%, Asset Management Revenue 25%, Service Charges On Deposit Accounts Rev… 17% (fiscal year FY2024).

Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.

Wheel Score 81: Prime

WTFC scores 81 out of 100 on the Wheel Score, in the Prime band (80 and above), which fewer than one stock in twenty reaches on any night. The score blends five things a wheel trader checks before selling a cash-secured put: the margin of safety (Value, 25/25), Piotroski health (16/20), the GLS moat (8/15), the option premium on offer (16/20) and how easily the stock trades (17/20).

Implied volatility is 31% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out: some premium, but under the 35-60% range the Wheel Score pays full marks for (16 of 20 points). Chain open interest is thin - 361 contracts across every expiry - so fills at a fair price are not guaranteed; a 30-45-day put may not exist at a usable strike.

Volume runs at 559k shares a day on a market cap of $9.5B, with a beta of 0.89; the Stability part of the Wheel Score gives that 17 of 20.

The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls; it is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. The walkthrough lesson shows how the score fits into a trade, start to finish.

Upcoming events

Wintrust Financial Corporation reports earnings on 19 Oct 2026 (after the close) - inside the 14-day window the Sunday Scan avoids, because a put sold now would carry the report's gap risk.

Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.

Similar stocks in Banks - Regional

The 12 companies below are the closest to Wintrust Financial Corporation by market cap within the Banks - Regional industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.

⚖ Compare WTFC with 7 of them   All Financial Services stocks →