Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) 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 Saturday morning.

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

Enterprise Financial Services Stock Down 0.8%

NASDAQ EFSC opened at $66.88 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $63.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.99. 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 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 0.79.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) 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. Research analysts anticipate that Enterprise Financial Services will post 5.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

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 value 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Enterprise Financial Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its stake in Enterprise Financial Services by 2.7% in the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 8,352 shares of the bank’s stock worth $452,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp lifted its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 55.6% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 708 shares of the bank’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,890 shares of the bank’s stock worth $156,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank boosted its position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 2,041 shares of the bank’s stock worth $118,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 65.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 812 shares of the bank’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. 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.