Short Interest in WSFS Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WSFS) Increases By 27.7%

WSFS Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WSFS) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,520,000 shares, an increase of 27.7% from the November 30th total of 1,190,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 295,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.1 days.

Institutional Trading of WSFS Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in WSFS Financial by 18.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 57,558 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,935,000 after acquiring an additional 8,763 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of WSFS Financial by 100.8% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 12,879 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $657,000 after purchasing an additional 6,466 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of WSFS Financial by 110.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 120,397 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,139,000 after purchasing an additional 63,284 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of WSFS Financial during the third quarter worth about $235,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of WSFS Financial by 47.9% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 114,154 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,821,000 after purchasing an additional 36,990 shares during the last quarter. 88.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSFS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Janney Montgomery Scott reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of WSFS Financial in a report on Monday, October 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $54.00 price target (down from $58.00) on shares of WSFS Financial in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, WSFS Financial currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $59.75.

WSFS Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ:WSFS opened at $53.39 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $55.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.39. WSFS Financial has a 1-year low of $40.19 and a 1-year high of $62.75. The firm has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.19 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

WSFS Financial (NASDAQ:WSFS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The bank reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.02. WSFS Financial had a net margin of 18.78% and a return on equity of 10.56%. The business had revenue of $267.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $260.35 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that WSFS Financial will post 4.27 EPS for the current year.

WSFS Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. WSFS Financial’s payout ratio is currently 13.70%.

WSFS Financial Company Profile

WSFS Financial Corporation operates as the savings and loan holding company for the Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB that provides various banking services in the United States. It operates through three segments: WSFS Bank, Cash Connect, and Wealth Management. It offers various deposit products, including savings accounts, demand deposits, interest-bearing demand deposits, money market deposit accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as accepts jumbo certificates of deposit from individuals, businesses, and municipalities.