WTFC — the engine's Play of the Day, fully scored
On Monday, July 20, 2026, WTFC scored in the 99th percentile of Wall Street Analyst's 15-dimension scoring engine with a STRONG BUY signal, at $164.19 at publication, on a suggested horizon of 1–3 months. The full breakdown below is the engine's actual evidence, published the day of the call and graded in public afterward.
This grade was written by the market, not by us: the Play was timestamped at publication and scored automatically against its entry price. Winners and losers both stay up — the full record lives on the track record.
WTFC lands in the 99th percentile on a fundamentals-led profile, pairing a top-tier fundamental score (82.4) with a 12.8 P/E, 28.6% margins, and reported 50% growth. Earnings quality reinforces the case with six consecutive beats averaging a 5.8% surprise and positive estimate revisions, while technicals confirm with a MACD bullish crossover, price above key moving averages, and a 1.6x volume surge.
This is a quality setup where the technical breakout and analyst upside (target $177 vs entry near $164) offer a runway over a 1-3 month horizon. Give the fundamentals-led thesis time to be recognized rather than treating it as a fast momentum trade.
A close back below the key moving averages or a break in the earnings-beat streak would undercut the thesis. The insider signal is mixed - 11 cluster buyers against 15 distinct sellers and 22 C-suite sells - so escalating insider distribution would be a warning sign.
The full case — all 15 dimensions
Every dimension the engine scored that day, with the actual evidence behind each number — including the ones that argue against the play. The twelve weighted dimensions come first; anything marked a supporting input is scored and shown, but reaches the composite through a capped confirmation bonus rather than a weighted share.
- Attractive P/E (12.8)
- Strong growth (50%)
- Excellent margins (28.6%)
- MACD bullish crossover
- Price above key moving averages
- Volume surge (1.6x avg)
- Analyst target $177 vs $145.55 (+22% implied)
- Tight target dispersion (high conviction)
- Quant Grade: B+ (75/100)
- Value: A-
- Growth: B-
- Profitability: B-
- Momentum: B+
- Eps Revisions: A+
- Revenue +79% (explosive)
- High net margin 29%
- Strong upward EPS revisions
- Strong beat streak (6 consecutive quarters)
- Positive revision momentum (+0.27)
- Large average earnings surprise (+5.8%)
- Stable positive EPS estimates
- Strong analyst buy consensus (79%)
- Strong 3-month momentum (+10.9%)
- Insider selling activity (3 sells)
- Held by Berkshire Hathaway (Buffett), Bridgewater Associates (Dalio), Renaissance Technologies (Simons)
- High insider filing activity (11 Form 4s in 30d)
- Very bullish put/call ratio (0.02)
- Reddit sentiment neutral (0 mentions)
- StockTwits neutral
- Low social media volume (0 total messages)
- 6Q consecutive earnings beats (avg 7.2% surprise)
- Insider cluster BUY: 11 insiders, $26,257,159 in 1d
- 6 consecutive earnings beats
- avg surprise +5.8%
- EPS trending up
- 2 C-suite buy(s) totaling $169,078 (+20 pts)
- Cluster buy: 11 distinct insiders bought (+20 pts)
- 3 purchase(s) increased ownership by >20% (+15 pts)
- 2 buy(s) >= $500K (total $1,129,219) (+10 pts)
- 15 distinct insiders selling (-20 pts)
- 22 C-suite sell(s) (-20 pts)
- Smart-money confirmation — moderate (+3)
A brief like this is generated from the engine's output every trading day. Today's Play is free — get it on the Play of the Day page or read how the 15 dimensions work.
The Play of the Day is the output of a quantitative scoring model, published for educational and informational purposes — it is not personalized investment advice, and Wall Street Analyst is not a registered investment advisor. Markets carry risk; past results don't guarantee future ones. Every decision is yours.