Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $66.00.

EFSC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Enterprise Financial Services from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Enterprise Financial Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Enterprise Financial Services in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock.

Enterprise Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of Enterprise Financial Services stock opened at $62.72 on Wednesday. Enterprise Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $51.18 and a fifty-two week high of $64.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.80. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $59.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.37.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.01. Enterprise Financial Services had a net margin of 19.81% and a return on equity of 10.35%. The firm had revenue of $188.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.02 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Enterprise Financial Services will post 5.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Enterprise Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Enterprise Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.66%.

Insider Activity at Enterprise Financial Services

In other news, EVP Mark G. Ponder sold 1,250 shares of Enterprise Financial Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.55, for a total transaction of $75,687.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,424,499.30. The trade was a 5.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Enterprise Financial Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 929.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 638 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 576 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp lifted its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 708 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 65.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 812 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Enterprise Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at $99,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in Enterprise Financial Services in the first quarter valued at $109,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.21% of the company’s stock.

About Enterprise Financial Services

Enterprise Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ: EFSC) is a bank holding company headquartered in Clayton, Missouri, operating through its primary subsidiary, Enterprise Bank & Trust. The company provides a comprehensive range of banking and financial services to individuals, small- and mid-sized businesses, and institutional clients. Its capabilities encompass deposit products, lending solutions, mortgage banking, and treasury management, supported by a full suite of digital banking tools and personalized client service.

In its commercial banking segment, Enterprise Bank & Trust offers lines of credit, equipment financing, commercial real estate loans, construction lending and agriculture lending.