Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC) Short Interest Up 23.3% in March

Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ:EFSC) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 752,497 shares, a growth of 23.3% from the March 15th total of 610,403 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 394,110 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Approximately 2.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Enterprise Financial Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EFSC. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services during the third quarter worth about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 929.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 638 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 65.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 812 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $92,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $99,000. 72.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Enterprise Financial Services Price Performance

EFSC stock opened at $58.67 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $56.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market cap of $2.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.79. Enterprise Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $47.56 and a fifty-two week high of $62.30.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The bank reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $190.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.54 million. Enterprise Financial Services had a net margin of 20.15% and a return on equity of 10.57%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Enterprise Financial Services 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 was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were given a $0.33 dividend. This is a positive change from Enterprise Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Enterprise Financial Services’s payout ratio is 24.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. 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, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.