WSFS Financial (NASDAQ:WSFS) Reaches New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Price/analyst action: WSFS hit a new 52‑week high of $73.22 (last $72.51) and analysts have raised targets, leaving a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $77.07.
• Dividend increase: the quarterly dividend was raised from $0.17 to $0.20 (annualized $0.80), implying a ~1.1% yield, with an ex‑dividend date of May 8 and payment on May 22.
• Institutional activity: large investors like Norges Bank and Vaughan Nelson added new positions and institutional ownership stands at ~88.5%, while insiders have sold a modest 3,455 shares over the past 90 days.

WSFS Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WSFS - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $73.22 and last traded at $72.51, with a volume of 15011 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $71.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WSFS. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $82.00 target price (up from $77.00) on shares of WSFS Financial in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $80.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of WSFS Financial in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of WSFS Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group set a $76.00 target price on WSFS Financial in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $81.00 target price (up from $79.00) on shares of WSFS Financial in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, WSFS Financial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $77.07.

WSFS Financial Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $60.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.85 and a beta of 0.77.

WSFS Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This is a positive change from WSFS Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. WSFS Financial's dividend payout ratio is 12.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at WSFS Financial

In other WSFS Financial news, EVP James J. Wechsler sold 450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was 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 directly owned 5,777 shares in the company, valued at $403,754.53. This trade represents a 7.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Shari Kruzinski sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.10, for a total value of $70,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,033,274. This represents a 6.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 3,455 shares of company stock worth $242,923 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WSFS. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of WSFS Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,193,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of WSFS Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,313,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of WSFS Financial by 71.5% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 470,191 shares of the bank's stock worth $25,973,000 after acquiring an additional 195,979 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of WSFS Financial by 64.0% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 427,481 shares of the bank's stock worth $27,983,000 after acquiring an additional 166,837 shares during the period. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of WSFS Financial by 1,190.1% during the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 153,234 shares of the bank's stock worth $8,264,000 after acquiring an additional 141,356 shares during the period. 88.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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