Franklin Resources Inc. Has $142.78 Million Stock Holdings in WSFS Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WSFS)

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its position in shares of WSFS Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WSFS) by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,782,098 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 248,546 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in WSFS Financial were worth $142,777,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in shares of WSFS Financial by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 57,558 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,935,000 after acquiring an additional 8,763 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial by 100.8% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 12,879 shares of the bank’s stock worth $657,000 after purchasing an additional 6,466 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial by 110.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 120,397 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,139,000 after purchasing an additional 63,284 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of WSFS Financial during the third quarter worth $235,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of WSFS Financial by 47.9% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 114,154 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,821,000 after purchasing an additional 36,990 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.49% of the company’s stock.

WSFS Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WSFS opened at $58.13 on Monday. WSFS Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $40.19 and a twelve month high of $62.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a PE ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $55.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.69.

WSFS Financial (NASDAQ:WSFS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The bank reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.02. WSFS Financial had a net margin of 18.78% and a return on equity of 10.56%. The firm had revenue of $267.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $260.35 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that WSFS Financial Co. will post 4.27 EPS for the current year.

WSFS Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. WSFS Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSFS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $54.00 price target (down previously from $58.00) on shares of WSFS Financial in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Janney Montgomery Scott reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of WSFS Financial in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $59.75.

About WSFS Financial

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.