Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) Stock Rating Raised to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research firms also recently commented on EFSC. Stephens initiated coverage on Enterprise Financial Services in a research note on Friday, September 18th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Enterprise Financial Services in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.00.

Enterprise Financial Services Stock Up 1.0%

EFSC opened at $59.84 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Enterprise Financial Services has a 1-year low of $51.18 and a 1-year high of $68.73. The company has a market capitalization of $2.17 billion, a PE ratio of 11.90 and a beta of 0.82. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $62.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.00.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The bank reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by ($0.20). The business had revenue of $187.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $189.15 million. Enterprise Financial Services had a net margin of 18.72% and a return on equity of 9.70%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Enterprise Financial Services will post 5.27 EPS for the current year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from Enterprise Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Enterprise Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Enterprise Financial Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $235,007,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $22,714,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the 1st quarter valued at $10,093,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $11,415,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,776,000. Institutional investors own 72.21% of the company’s stock.

About Enterprise Financial Services

Enterprise Financial Services Corp. is a financial holding company headquartered in Clayton, Missouri. Its principal subsidiary, Enterprise Bank & Trust, provides banking and financial services to businesses, professionals, entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations and individuals.

The company’s offerings include commercial and industrial lending, commercial real estate financing, construction loans, small-business banking, deposit accounts, treasury management and private banking. Through its wealth-management activities, Enterprise also provides trust, investment-management and related advisory services.

Enterprise Bank & Trust was founded in 1990 and serves clients through banking locations and financial professionals in markets across Missouri, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.