Cetera Investment Advisers Acquires 1,927 Shares of Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC)

Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC) by 19.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 11,648 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 1,927 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Enterprise Financial Services were worth $626,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $4,771,000. Foundry Partners LLC grew its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 174,120 shares of the bank’s stock worth $9,357,000 after acquiring an additional 2,977 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services during the first quarter valued at about $1,427,000. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 572,082 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,744,000 after purchasing an additional 5,302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 83.6% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,252 shares of the bank’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 570 shares during the period. 72.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael E. Finn purchased 1,500 shares of Enterprise Financial Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $54.11 per share, with a total value of $81,165.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $162,330. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO James Brian Lally sold 1,828 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.16, for a total value of $100,832.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,564,816.60. The trade was a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Enterprise Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EFSC opened at $56.90 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $55.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.93. Enterprise Financial Services Corporation has a twelve month low of $45.22 and a twelve month high of $63.13. The company has a market cap of $2.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The bank reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $176.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.82 million. Enterprise Financial Services had a return on equity of 11.19% and a net margin of 21.28%. Research analysts predict that Enterprise Financial Services Corporation will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from Enterprise Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Enterprise Financial Services’s payout ratio is currently 22.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EFSC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Enterprise Financial Services from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Enterprise Financial Services from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Enterprise Financial Services from $69.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th.

About Enterprise Financial Services

Enterprise Financial Services Corp operates as the holding company for Enterprise Bank & Trust that offers banking and wealth management services to individuals and corporate customers primarily in Arizona, California, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, and New Mexico. It provides checking, savings, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit.