WSFS Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WSFS) Short Interest Up 27.7% in December

WSFS Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WSFS) saw a large increase in short interest in 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 trading volume of 295,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.1 days.

WSFS Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WSFS opened at $53.39 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $55.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.39. The firm has a market capitalization 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 has a 1-year low of $40.19 and a 1-year high of $62.75.

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

WSFS Financial Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WSFS shares. Janney Montgomery Scott reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of WSFS Financial in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $54.00 price objective (down previously 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 data from MarketBeat.com, WSFS Financial currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $59.75.

Institutional Trading of WSFS Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of WSFS Financial by 5,000.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 918 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of WSFS Financial by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,451 shares of the bank’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in WSFS Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $127,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in WSFS Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, Lansing Street Advisors acquired a new position in WSFS Financial during the third quarter worth $207,000. 88.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.