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5 Reasons to Bet on Enterprise Financial (EFSC) Stock Now

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Enterprise Financial Services (EFSC - Free Report) appears to be a solid bet right now because of its sound organic and inorganic growth strategies. The stock has been witnessing upward estimate revisions, reflecting analysts’ optimism. In the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2017 and 2018 increased 1.2% and nearly 1%, respectively.

Further, this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock has gained 10.8% in the last three months, outperforming 6.7% rally of the industry it belongs to.

Enterprise Financial has a number of other aspects that make it an attractive investment option.

Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth: Enterprise Financial witnessed EPS growth rate of nearly 12% in the last three to five years. Earnings momentum is likely to continue in the near term as reflected by the company’s projected EPS growth rate of 4.4% for the current year.

Inorganic Growth Strategies: The company completed the acquisition of Jefferson County Bancshares in February 2017. The deal is expected to be accretive to Enterprise Financial’s earnings.

Impressive Revenue Strength: Enterprise Financial’s revenues saw a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.7% over the last three years (2014-2016). Further, the top line is expected to grow 27.7% in 2017, considerably higher than the industry average of 3.2%.

Prudent Expense Management:  The company has been successful in trimming its expenses over the last three years at a CAGR of nearly 1%.

Superior Return on Equity (ROE): Enterprise Financial has an ROE of 11.15%, better than the industry average of 9.53%. This shows that the company reinvests its cash more efficiently.

Other Stocks to Consider

Washington Federal (WAFD - Free Report) witnessed an upward earnings estimate revision of nearly 1% for the current fiscal year, in the last 30 days. Its share price has increased 2% in the past six months. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

BlackRock (BLK - Free Report) carries a Zacks Rank of 2. For the current year, in the last 30 days, its Zacks Consensus Estimate was revised 1.1% upward. The company’s share price has increased 25.3% in the past six months.

Ameriprise Financial (AMP - Free Report) has a Zacks Rank #2. The company witnessed upward earnings estimate revision of 5.9% for the current year, in the last 30 days. Its share price has increased 24.3% in the past six months.

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