First Trust Advisors LP Lowers Stake in Enterprise Financial Services Corporation $EFSC

First Trust Advisors LP reduced its position in Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC) by 16.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,226,799 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 244,445 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 3.35% of Enterprise Financial Services worth $66,382,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Enterprise Financial Services by 3,318.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 28,472 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,537,000 after buying an additional 27,639 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted 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 acquiring an additional 26,008 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the third quarter worth about $1,211,000. Clayton Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth about $540,000. Finally, Endeavour Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 109.8% during the fourth quarter. Endeavour Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 185,240 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,003,000 after purchasing an additional 96,926 shares in the last quarter. 72.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Enterprise Financial Services

In other news, EVP Mark G. Ponder sold 1,250 shares of the company’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 transaction of $75,687.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,526 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,424,499.30. This represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EFSC. Wall Street Zen downgraded Enterprise Financial Services from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Enterprise Financial Services from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial upped 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Enterprise Financial Services in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.75.

Enterprise Financial Services Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of EFSC stock opened at $65.99 on Friday. Enterprise Financial Services Corporation has a 12-month low of $51.18 and a 12-month high of $68.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $63.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.12 and a beta of 0.79.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The bank reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by ($0.20). Enterprise Financial Services had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 18.72%.The firm had revenue of $182.19 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $189.15 million. Equities research analysts predict that Enterprise Financial Services Corporation will post 5.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

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

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.