William Blair Investment Management LLC Trims Holdings in Enterprise Financial Services Corporation $EFSC

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management cut its stake in Enterprise Financial Services by 57.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 331,936 shares and leaving it with 246,029 shares worth about $13.3 million.
• Enterprise Financial Services reported Q1 earnings of $1.31 per share, narrowly beating estimates, while revenue came in below expectations. The company also maintained solid profitability metrics, including a 10.35% return on equity.
• The bank raised its quarterly dividend to $0.34 per share, or $1.36 annually, implying a 2.2% yield. Analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $66.00.

William Blair Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC - Free Report) by 57.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 246,029 shares of the bank's stock after selling 331,936 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 0.66% of Enterprise Financial Services worth $13,286,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 146.8% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 969,533 shares of the bank's stock valued at $56,213,000 after acquiring an additional 576,655 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 233,226 shares of the bank's stock valued at $13,522,000 after acquiring an additional 30,568 shares during the period. Convergence Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,000,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 30.3% in the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 125,417 shares of the bank's stock valued at $7,272,000 after acquiring an additional 29,159 shares during the period. Finally, Endeavour Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. Endeavour Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 88,314 shares of the bank's stock valued at $5,120,000 after acquiring an additional 17,561 shares during the period. 72.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Enterprise Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of EFSC stock opened at $60.83 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.48 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $57.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.44. Enterprise Financial Services Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $50.88 and a fifty-two week high of $62.30.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $113.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.02 million. Enterprise Financial Services had a net margin of 19.81% and a return on equity of 10.35%. Equities research analysts predict that Enterprise Financial Services Corporation will post 5.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from Enterprise Financial Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Enterprise Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Enterprise Financial Services

In related news, EVP Mark G. Ponder sold 1,250 shares of Enterprise Financial Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.55, for a total value of $75,687.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EFSC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Enterprise Financial Services in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Enterprise Financial Services from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Enterprise Financial Services from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.00.

About Enterprise Financial Services

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.

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