Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Lowers Position in WSFS Financial Corporation $WSFS

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP trimmed its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WSFS) by 0.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,637,654 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 29,333 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 6.65% of WSFS Financial worth $196,180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in WSFS Financial by 102.6% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 10,347 shares of the bank’s stock worth $537,000 after buying an additional 5,240 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position 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 valued at $1,807,000 after acquiring an additional 1,176 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of WSFS Financial by 230.4% in the 1st 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 acquired a new position in shares of WSFS Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $204,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial by 579.0% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 117,472 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,093,000 after acquiring an additional 100,171 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

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WSFS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of WSFS Financial from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. DA Davidson started coverage on WSFS Financial in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $74.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded WSFS Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of WSFS Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on WSFS Financial from $62.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, WSFS Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.80.

Insider Activity at WSFS Financial

In other WSFS Financial news, EVP Arthur J. Bacci sold 2,005 shares of the 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 sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP James J. Wechsler sold 450 shares of WSFS Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.89, for a total value of $31,450.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $403,754.53. The trade was a 7.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 3,455 shares of company stock worth $242,923. Company insiders own 1.21% of the company’s stock.

WSFS Financial Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of WSFS stock opened at $62.98 on Monday. WSFS Financial Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $42.44 and a fifty-two week high of $71.32. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $62.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.35 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84.

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

WSFS Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. WSFS Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.33%.

About WSFS Financial

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.