Ieq Capital LLC Makes New $260,000 Investment in Enterprise Financial Services Corporation $EFSC

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC acquired 4,845 shares of Enterprise Financial Services Corporation, worth approximately $260,000, marking a new investment by the firm in the first quarter.
• The company's CEO, James Brian Lally, sold 1,828 shares of stock for over $100,000, whereas Director Michael E. Finn increased his holdings by purchasing 1,500 shares.
• Enterprise Financial Services recently upgraded its quarterly dividend to $0.31 from $0.30, reflecting a 2.0% yield, scheduled for payment on September 30th.

Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,845 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $260,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of EFSC. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 20,113 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,134,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 380,133 shares of the bank's stock valued at $21,440,000 after purchasing an additional 17,185 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 83,179 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,691,000 after purchasing an additional 8,525 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Enterprise Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $204,000. Finally, Crestline Management LP acquired a new position in Enterprise Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $203,000. 72.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Enterprise Financial Services from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.33.

Insider Activity at Enterprise Financial Services

In related news, CEO James Brian Lally sold 1,828 shares of Enterprise Financial Services 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 owned 100,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,564,816.60. This trade represents a 1.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michael E. Finn bought 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $54.11 per share, with a total value of $81,165.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,000 shares in the company, valued at $162,330. The trade was a 100.00% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Enterprise Financial Services Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:EFSC traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $60.53. 201,094 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 144,426. Enterprise Financial Services Corporation has a 1 year low of $45.22 and a 1 year high of $63.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $58.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.91. The firm has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.49 and a beta of 0.92.

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

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.31 dividend. This is a boost from Enterprise Financial Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Enterprise Financial Services's payout ratio is 22.77%.

Enterprise Financial Services Company 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.