Vanguard Group Inc. Has $330.78 Million Stock Holdings in WSFS Financial Corporation $WSFS

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in WSFS Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WSFS) by 3.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,133,541 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 227,396 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.96% of WSFS Financial worth $330,782,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in WSFS Financial by 102.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 10,347 shares of the bank’s stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 5,240 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial by 3.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 34,835 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,807,000 after buying an additional 1,176 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of WSFS Financial by 230.4% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 72,726 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,772,000 after acquiring an additional 50,717 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in WSFS Financial during the first quarter worth about $204,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in WSFS Financial by 579.0% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 117,472 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,093,000 after purchasing an additional 100,171 shares during the period. 88.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP James J. Wechsler sold 450 shares of WSFS Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.89, for a total transaction of $31,450.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $403,754.53. The trade was a 7.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Arthur J. Bacci sold 2,005 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.51, for a total value of $141,372.55. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,859,066.66. This trade represents a 7.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,455 shares of company stock valued at $242,923. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

WSFS Financial Trading Down 4.3%

Shares of WSFS stock opened at $63.51 on Friday. WSFS Financial Corporation has a twelve month low of $42.44 and a twelve month high of $71.32. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.45 and a beta of 0.79.

WSFS Financial (NASDAQ:WSFS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The bank reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $90.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $267.36 million. WSFS Financial had a return on equity of 10.89% and a net margin of 21.14%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.11 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that WSFS Financial Corporation will post 4.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WSFS Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. WSFS Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 13.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on WSFS shares. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $71.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of WSFS Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Zacks Research raised WSFS Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of WSFS Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of WSFS Financial in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $74.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on WSFS Financial from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.80.

WSFS Financial Company Profile

WSFS Financial Corporation is the bank holding company for WSFS Bank, a regional financial institution headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. The company traces its roots to the Safe Deposit & Trust Company, founded in 1832, and formally organized as WSFS Financial in the mid-1980s. Over its long history, WSFS has grown through a combination of organic expansion and selective acquisitions to serve a broad base of individual, commercial and institutional clients.

WSFS Bank offers a full suite of banking and financial services, including retail and commercial deposit accounts, commercial and industrial lending, real estate financing, and treasury management solutions.