Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Reduces Position in Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ:EFSC)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ:EFSC) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 76,735 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 3,505 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Enterprise Financial Services were worth $4,328,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of EFSC. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in Enterprise Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Quarry LP grew its position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 2,593.5% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 835 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 804 shares in the last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $102,000. FMR LLC lifted its position in Enterprise Financial Services by 34.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the bank’s stock worth $131,000 after buying an additional 653 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP acquired a new position in Enterprise Financial Services during the third quarter worth $181,000. 72.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Enterprise Financial Services

In other news, Director James M. Havel sold 5,525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Enterprise Financial Services Price Performance

NASDAQ:EFSC opened at $53.52 on Wednesday. Enterprise Financial Services Corp has a 52 week low of $37.28 and a 52 week high of $63.13. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $57.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.37. The company has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.97. 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) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The bank reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities analysts expect that Enterprise Financial Services Corp will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. This is a boost from Enterprise Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Enterprise Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.