Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $68.50.

EFSC has been the topic of several research reports. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Enterprise Financial Services from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Enterprise Financial Services from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Enterprise Financial Services from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st.

Enterprise Financial Services Stock Up 0.4%

Enterprise Financial Services stock traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $65.34. The stock had a trading volume of 174,123 shares, compared to its average volume of 278,347. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.39 billion, a PE ratio of 12.33 and a beta of 0.79. Enterprise Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $51.18 and a fifty-two week high of $67.53. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $188.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.02 million. Enterprise Financial Services had a return on equity of 10.35% and a net margin of 19.81%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Enterprise Financial Services will post 5.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Enterprise Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. Enterprise Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Mark G. Ponder sold 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.55, for a total transaction of $75,687.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,526 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,424,499.30. This represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Enterprise Financial Services

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Enterprise Financial Services by 3,318.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 28,472 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,537,000 after acquiring an additional 27,639 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 995,541 shares of the bank’s stock worth $53,759,000 after buying an additional 26,008 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new position in Enterprise Financial Services in the third quarter valued at $1,211,000. Clayton Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Enterprise Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at $540,000. Finally, Endeavour Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Enterprise Financial Services by 109.8% during the fourth quarter. Endeavour Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 185,240 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $10,003,000 after acquiring an additional 96,926 shares during the period. 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.