43,900 Shares in WSFS Financial Corporation $WSFS Purchased by Denali Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Denali Advisors LLC opened a new position in WSFS Financial, buying 43,900 shares valued at about $2.425 million in the fourth quarter.
• Wall Street remains mixed on the stock, with analysts split between Buy and Hold ratings; the consensus view is Moderate Buy with a price target of $77.07.
• WSFS Financial announced a higher quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, up from $0.17, implying a 1.1% annualized yield.

Denali Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of WSFS Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WSFS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 43,900 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $2,425,000. Denali Advisors LLC owned 0.08% of WSFS Financial as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 68,460 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,782,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial by 7.8% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,817 shares of the bank's stock worth $152,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in WSFS Financial by 7.2% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,263 shares of the bank's stock valued at $177,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in WSFS Financial by 5.1% in the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,580 shares of the bank's stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in WSFS Financial by 3.7% in the third quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 6,389 shares of the bank's stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.49% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $81.00 price target (up from $79.00) on shares of WSFS Financial in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of WSFS Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. DA Davidson boosted their price target on WSFS Financial from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. UBS Group set a $76.00 price target on WSFS Financial in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded WSFS Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $77.07.

Insider Activity at WSFS Financial

In other news, EVP Arthur J. Bacci sold 2,005 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.51, for a total value of $141,372.55. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 26,366 shares in the company, valued at $1,859,066.66. The trade was a 7.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

WSFS Financial Stock Down 0.5%

WSFS Financial stock opened at $71.70 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.73 billion, a PE ratio of 12.76 and a beta of 0.77. WSFS Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $49.92 and a 12 month high of $73.22. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

WSFS Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is a boost from WSFS Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. WSFS Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.10%.

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.

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