Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ:EFSC) Short Interest Down 15.2% in February

Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ:EFSC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 382,200 shares, a decrease of 15.2% from the February 13th total of 450,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 160,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days. Approximately 1.1% of the company's shares are sold short.

Insider Activity at Enterprise Financial Services

In other Enterprise Financial Services news, Director James M. Havel sold 5,525 shares of Enterprise Financial Services 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 15,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at $903,186.09. The trade was a 26.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Enterprise Financial Services

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFSC. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,338 shares of the bank's stock worth $414,000 after purchasing an additional 699 shares in the last quarter. Phocas Financial Corp. increased its stake in Enterprise Financial Services by 21.8% during the 4th quarter. Phocas Financial Corp. now owns 138,498 shares of the bank's stock worth $7,811,000 after buying an additional 24,785 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 974.2% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 4,823 shares of the bank's stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 4,374 shares in the last quarter. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 38.0% during the 4th quarter. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC now owns 32,696 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,844,000 after buying an additional 9,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Enterprise Financial Services by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 96,582 shares of the bank's stock valued at $5,447,000 after buying an additional 9,076 shares during the period. 72.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Remove Ads

Enterprise Financial Services Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of EFSC traded down $0.60 during trading on Friday, reaching $55.03. 2,939,902 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 159,099. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.12. The stock has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a PE ratio of 11.37 and a beta of 0.97. Enterprise Financial Services has a twelve month low of $37.28 and a twelve month high of $63.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The bank reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Enterprise Financial Services will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is a positive change from Enterprise Financial Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. Enterprise Financial Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (up from $68.00) on shares of Enterprise Financial Services in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. DA Davidson upped their price target on Enterprise Financial Services from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th.

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.