WSFS Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WSFS) Short Interest Up 42.6% in March

WSFS Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WSFS - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,840,000 shares, an increase of 42.6% from the February 28th total of 1,290,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 302,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.1 days. Currently, 3.2% of the company's stock are short sold.

WSFS Financial Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of WSFS traded up $0.54 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $52.67. 256,389 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 278,243. The business has a 50 day moving average of $54.06 and a 200 day moving average of $53.95. The company has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a PE ratio of 11.92 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. WSFS Financial has a 1-year low of $41.33 and a 1-year high of $62.75.

WSFS Financial (NASDAQ:WSFS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The bank reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.13. WSFS Financial had a net margin of 18.77% and a return on equity of 10.30%. Equities research analysts anticipate that WSFS Financial will post 4.47 EPS for the current year.

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WSFS Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. WSFS Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other WSFS Financial news, CEO Rodger Levenson sold 7,199 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.20, for a total value of $397,384.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 142,780 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,881,456. The trade was a 4.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of WSFS Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSFS. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial by 2,500.0% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 572 shares of the bank's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares during the period. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in WSFS Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in WSFS Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in shares of WSFS Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $84,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in WSFS Financial by 804.4% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,863 shares of the bank's stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 1,657 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.49% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on WSFS. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $68.00 price objective on shares of WSFS Financial in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on WSFS Financial from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $64.75.

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.