WSFS Financial (NASDAQ:WSFS) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Technical breakout: WSFS shares recently passed above their 200‑day moving average (200‑day = $58.26), trading as high as $65.35 and last at $65.20, with a 50‑day average of $64.24 and a consensus price target of about $70.58 suggesting further upside.
• Analyst sentiment: The stock carries an average rating of "Moderate Buy" (1 Strong Buy, 4 Buy, 3 Hold) with recent price targets raised into the low $70s (up to $74.50) amid new and updated coverage.
• Fundamentals and ownership: WSFS beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.43 vs. $1.26), shows a ROE around 10.9% and a 1.0% dividend yield (annualized $0.68, payout ratio 13.3%), while insiders sold 3,455 shares last quarter and institutional investors own roughly 88.5% of the stock.

WSFS Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WSFS - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $58.26 and traded as high as $65.35. WSFS Financial shares last traded at $65.20, with a volume of 316,199 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WSFS shares. Zacks Research raised shares of WSFS Financial from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of WSFS Financial in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $74.00 price target on the stock. Brean Capital began coverage on shares of WSFS Financial in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $74.50 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of WSFS Financial from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $71.00 target price (up from $66.00) on shares of WSFS Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, WSFS Financial currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.58.

WSFS Financial Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $64.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a PE ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 0.76.

WSFS Financial (NASDAQ:WSFS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The bank reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $90.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $267.36 million. WSFS Financial had a return on equity of 10.89% and a net margin of 21.14%.The firm's revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.11 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that WSFS Financial Corporation will post 4.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WSFS Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. WSFS Financial's payout ratio is presently 13.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other WSFS Financial news, EVP Shari Kruzinski sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.10, for a total transaction of $70,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,033,274. This trade represents a 6.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Arthur J. Bacci sold 2,005 shares of WSFS Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.51, for a total transaction of $141,372.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,859,066.66. This trade represents a 7.07% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 3,455 shares of company stock valued at $242,923 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WSFS Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSFS. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,465,792 shares of the bank's stock worth $136,210,000 after purchasing an additional 32,423 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,544,508 shares of the bank's stock worth $83,295,000 after purchasing an additional 33,398 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,066,591 shares of the bank's stock worth $58,918,000 after purchasing an additional 60,931 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP increased its position in WSFS Financial by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,055,902 shares of the bank's stock worth $58,328,000 after purchasing an additional 23,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its position in WSFS Financial by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 928,413 shares of the bank's stock worth $50,069,000 after purchasing an additional 117,244 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.49% of the company's stock.

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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