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

Shares of Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $70.00.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on EFSC shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Enterprise Financial Services from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Enterprise Financial Services from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on Enterprise Financial Services from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Enterprise Financial Services in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Enterprise Financial Services from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th.

Enterprise Financial Services Stock Down 0.6%

EFSC opened at $66.88 on Thursday. Enterprise Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $51.18 and a fifty-two week high of $68.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The company’s 50-day moving average is $64.53 and its 200 day moving average is $59.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.30 and a beta of 0.79.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The bank reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.33 by ($0.20). The business had revenue of $187.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $189.15 million. Enterprise Financial Services had a return on equity of 9.70% and a net margin of 18.72%. Research analysts expect that Enterprise Financial Services will post 5.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Enterprise Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Enterprise Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is 27.04%.

Institutional Trading of Enterprise Financial Services

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EFSC. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Enterprise Financial Services by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,952,106 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $159,414,000 after buying an additional 329,346 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,371,519 shares of the bank’s stock worth $128,062,000 after acquiring an additional 13,956 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 3.1% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,188,766 shares of the bank’s stock worth $118,435,000 after acquiring an additional 65,912 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,471,244 shares of the bank’s stock worth $79,447,000 after acquiring an additional 83,626 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 995,541 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $53,759,000 after purchasing an additional 26,008 shares in the last quarter. 72.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.