Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) Sets New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Shares of Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $64.35 and last traded at $64.12, with a volume of 185078 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $63.85.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on EFSC shares. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Enterprise Financial Services in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Enterprise Financial Services from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Enterprise Financial Services from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Enterprise Financial Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.00.

Enterprise Financial Services Trading Down 0.5%

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $59.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.34 billion, a PE ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $188.85 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.02 million. Enterprise Financial Services had a net margin of 19.81% and a return on equity of 10.35%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Enterprise Financial Services Corporation will post 5.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This is an increase from Enterprise Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Enterprise Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.91%.

Insider Activity at Enterprise Financial Services

In other news, EVP Mark G. Ponder sold 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.55, for a total value of $75,687.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,526 shares in the company, valued at $1,424,499.30. This trade represents a 5.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFSC. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,952,106 shares of the bank’s stock worth $159,414,000 after buying an additional 329,346 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA purchased a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the first quarter worth about $10,093,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 2,090.9% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 105,077 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,674,000 after buying an additional 100,281 shares in the last quarter. Endeavour Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 109.8% in the fourth quarter. Endeavour Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 185,240 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,003,000 after buying an additional 96,926 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Enterprise Financial Services by 6.0% during 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.21% of the company’s stock.

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.