Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $67.88 and last traded at $67.7990, with a volume of 22010 shares. The stock had previously closed at $66.30.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EFSC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Enterprise Financial Services in a report on Friday, July 10th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Enterprise Financial Services from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on Enterprise Financial Services from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Enterprise Financial Services from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.50.

Enterprise Financial Services Trading Up 3.2%

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $62.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a PE ratio of 12.91 and a beta of 0.79.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $188.85 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.02 million. Enterprise Financial Services had a return on equity of 10.35% and a net margin of 19.81%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Enterprise Financial Services Corporation will post 5.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Mark G. Ponder sold 1,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 23,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,424,499.30. The trade was a 5.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Enterprise Financial Services

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFSC. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Enterprise Financial Services by 929.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 638 shares of the bank’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 708 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 65.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 812 shares of the bank’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Enterprise Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $109,000. 72.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.