Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ:EFSC) Shares Sold by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Bank of New York Mellon Corp lessened its position in Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ:EFSC) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 174,900 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 8,507 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 0.47% of Enterprise Financial Services worth $9,864,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of EFSC. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 46.2% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,873 shares of the bank’s stock worth $199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,223 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 117,328 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,014,000 after acquiring an additional 20,398 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $221,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 169.7% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,452 shares of the bank’s stock worth $177,000 after acquiring an additional 2,172 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $297,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.21% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Enterprise Financial Services news, Director James M. Havel sold 5,525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total value of $323,046.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,447 shares in the company, valued at $903,186.09. This trade represents a 26.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on EFSC. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Enterprise Financial Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th.

Enterprise Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of EFSC opened at $55.83 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $58.12 and its 200-day moving average is $55.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.54 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Enterprise Financial Services Corp has a 12-month low of $37.28 and a 12-month high of $63.13.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The bank reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.14. Enterprise Financial Services had a net margin of 20.12% and a return on equity of 10.94%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Enterprise Financial Services Corp will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. This is a boost from Enterprise Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Enterprise Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.97%.

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.