Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on EFSC. Raymond James Financial raised their price target 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Enterprise Financial Services in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.50.

Enterprise Financial Services Stock Down 1.6%

EFSC opened at $67.39 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.88. Enterprise Financial Services has a 52 week low of $51.18 and a 52 week high of $68.73. The company has a market capitalization of $2.47 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $188.85 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.02 million. Analysts forecast that Enterprise Financial Services will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Enterprise Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. Enterprise Financial Services’s payout ratio is 25.66%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Mark G. Ponder sold 1,250 shares of Enterprise Financial Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.55, for a total transaction of $75,687.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,424,499.30. This trade represents a 5.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Enterprise Financial Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Enterprise Financial Services by 2.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 157,012 shares of the bank’s stock worth $8,496,000 after acquiring an additional 4,402 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA acquired a new stake in Enterprise Financial Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $10,093,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 397,357 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $21,501,000 after acquiring an additional 21,269 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Enterprise Financial Services by 311.2% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,591 shares of the bank’s stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 6,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Enterprise Financial Services by 371.9% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 41,295 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,235,000 after purchasing an additional 32,545 shares in the last quarter. 72.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Enterprise Financial Services Company Profile

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.