Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) Stock Rating Cut to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Sunday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Enterprise Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $64.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Enterprise Financial Services in a research report on Friday, September 18th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark raised shares of Enterprise Financial Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Enterprise Financial Services in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.20.

Enterprise Financial Services Price Performance

NASDAQ EFSC opened at $62.05 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $61.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.78. Enterprise Financial Services has a one year low of $51.18 and a one year high of $68.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.46 and a beta of 0.82.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.21). Enterprise Financial Services had a net margin of 18.83% and a return on equity of 9.66%. The firm had revenue of $192.53 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $193.09 million. Research analysts anticipate that Enterprise Financial Services will post 5.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This is an increase from Enterprise Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 15th. Enterprise Financial Services’s payout ratio is currently 28.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Enterprise Financial Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Enterprise Financial Services during the second quarter worth $235,007,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Enterprise Financial Services in the second quarter valued at $22,714,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA purchased a new stake in Enterprise Financial Services in the first quarter valued at $10,093,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $11,415,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $10,776,000. 72.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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, institutions and individuals.

The company offers commercial and small-business lending, deposit accounts, treasury management, private banking, wealth management, trust and estate services, and other financial solutions. Its commercial banking capabilities include financing for working capital, equipment, real estate and business expansion.

Enterprise Bank & Trust serves customers through banking markets that include St.