Earnest Partners LLC Sells 13,373 Shares of Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ:EFSC)

Earnest Partners LLC lessened its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ:EFSC - Free Report) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,883,355 shares of the bank's stock after selling 13,373 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC owned 5.07% of Enterprise Financial Services worth $106,221,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EFSC. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in Enterprise Financial Services during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new stake in Enterprise Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $191,000. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Enterprise Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $212,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,873 shares of the bank's stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,095 shares of the bank's stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. 72.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Enterprise Financial Services

In other news, Director James M. Havel sold 5,525 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total transaction of $323,046.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 15,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at $903,186.09. This represents a 26.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

Enterprise Financial Services Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of EFSC traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $53.05. The company had a trading volume of 42,724 shares, compared to its average volume of 175,897. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.98 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $52.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.05. Enterprise Financial Services Corp has a 52 week low of $37.28 and a 52 week high of $63.13.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The bank reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $18.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $162.83 million. Enterprise Financial Services had a net margin of 20.12% and a return on equity of 10.94%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Enterprise Financial Services Corp will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. This is a boost from Enterprise Financial Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Enterprise Financial Services's payout ratio is currently 23.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on EFSC. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Enterprise Financial Services from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $69.00 to $66.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday.

Enterprise Financial Services Profile

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.