Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 48,385 Shares of Enterprise Financial Services Corporation $EFSC

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP sold 48,385 shares of Enterprise Financial Services, reducing their stake by 2.2%, leaving them with approximately 2.17 million shares valued at $116.45 million.
• Enterprise Financial Services announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.31 per share, reflecting a positive change from the previous $0.30, with a 2.0% dividend yield.
• The stock has recently been upgraded to an average rating of "Buy" from various analysts, despite a price target decrease from some firms, indicating continued investor interest.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its stake in Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC - Free Report) by 2.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,166,983 shares of the bank's stock after selling 48,385 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 5.87% of Enterprise Financial Services worth $116,452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Enterprise Financial Services by 4.1% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,640 shares of the bank's stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Enterprise Financial Services by 53.9% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,232 shares of the bank's stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 2,182 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. bought a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $287,000. KBC Group NV bought a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $117,000. Finally, Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,427,000. 72.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Enterprise Financial Services Stock Performance

EFSC stock traded down $0.03 on Thursday, hitting $61.65. The company had a trading volume of 132,957 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,380. Enterprise Financial Services Corporation has a 12-month low of $45.22 and a 12-month high of $63.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $56.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.87. The stock has a market cap of $2.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.70 and a beta of 0.90.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $176.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $166.82 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Enterprise Financial Services Corporation will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 an increase from Enterprise Financial Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Enterprise Financial Services's dividend payout ratio is 22.77%.

Insider Activity at Enterprise Financial Services

In related news, 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael E. Finn purchased 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $54.11 per share, for a total transaction of $81,165.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EFSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of 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. DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of 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, 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Enterprise Financial Services presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $64.33.

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.