Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ:EFSC) Stock Holdings Raised by Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ:EFSC) by 437.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,223 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,902 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned about 0.06% of Enterprise Financial Services worth $1,310,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of EFSC. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,095 shares of the bank’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Enterprise Financial Services by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 31,233 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,762,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Enterprise Financial Services by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,141 shares of the bank’s stock worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in Enterprise Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Enterprise Financial Services by 34.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the bank’s stock worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares during the period. 72.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on EFSC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Enterprise Financial Services in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Enterprise Financial Services from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th.

Enterprise Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of EFSC opened at $56.91 on Thursday. Enterprise Financial Services Corp has a 12 month low of $37.28 and a 12 month high of $63.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $58.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.08. The company has a market cap of $2.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.76 and a beta of 0.97.

Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The bank reported $1.32 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Enterprise Financial Services Corp will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Enterprise Financial Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Enterprise Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Enterprise Financial Services’s payout ratio is 23.97%.

Insider Transactions 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 15,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $903,186.09. This trade represents 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. Insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

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.