Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Boosts Holdings in WSFS Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WSFS)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of WSFS Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WSFS) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,725 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 493 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. owned about 0.05% of WSFS Financial worth $1,686,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of WSFS Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $18,167,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of WSFS Financial by 819.8% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 254,616 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $13,528,000 after acquiring an additional 226,933 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial by 179.8% in the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 169,563 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $9,009,000 after purchasing an additional 108,968 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in WSFS Financial by 3.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,030,372 shares of the bank’s stock worth $154,519,000 after purchasing an additional 87,781 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its stake in WSFS Financial by 110.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 120,397 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,139,000 after purchasing an additional 63,284 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.49% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSFS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of WSFS Financial from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $68.00 target price on shares of WSFS Financial in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $64.75.

Insider Transactions at WSFS Financial

In related news, CEO Rodger Levenson sold 7,199 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.20, for a total value of $397,384.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 142,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,881,456. This trade represents a 4.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.29% of the company’s stock.

WSFS Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WSFS opened at $52.06 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. WSFS Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $41.33 and a 12 month high of $62.75. The company has a market capitalization of $3.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $54.21 and its 200 day moving average is $53.95.

WSFS Financial (NASDAQ:WSFS) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The bank reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.13. WSFS Financial had a return on equity of 10.30% and a net margin of 18.77%. Research analysts predict that WSFS Financial Co. will post 4.47 EPS for the current year.

WSFS Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. WSFS Financial’s payout ratio is 13.57%.

WSFS Financial Company Profile

WSFS Financial Corporation operates as the savings and loan holding company for the Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB that provides various banking services in the United States. It operates through three segments: WSFS Bank, Cash Connect, and Wealth Management. It offers various deposit products, including savings accounts, demand deposits, interest-bearing demand deposits, money market deposit accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as accepts jumbo certificates of deposit from individuals, businesses, and municipalities.