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

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

Institutional Trading of WSFS Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSFS. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in shares of WSFS Financial by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 57,558 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,935,000 after purchasing an additional 8,763 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in WSFS Financial by 100.8% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 12,879 shares of the bank’s stock worth $657,000 after acquiring an additional 6,466 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in WSFS Financial by 110.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 120,397 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,139,000 after acquiring an additional 63,284 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in WSFS Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $235,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.49% of the company’s stock.

WSFS Financial Price Performance

WSFS Financial stock opened at $53.22 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $55.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.52. WSFS Financial has a 52 week low of $40.19 and a 52 week high of $62.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.13 billion, a PE ratio of 12.15 and a beta of 1.06.

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 analysts’ expectations of $260.35 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that WSFS Financial will post 4.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WSFS Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. WSFS Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WSFS. Janney Montgomery Scott reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of WSFS Financial in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $54.00 target price (down from $58.00) on shares of WSFS Financial in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $59.75.

About WSFS Financial

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.