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EF

ENTERPRISE FINANCIAL SERVICES CORP (EFSC)·Q2 2025 Earnings Summary

Executive Summary

  • EFSC posted diluted EPS of $1.36 and adjusted EPS of $1.37, with NIM expanding 6 bps to 4.21% and net interest income rising to $152.8M; loans and deposits grew to $11.41B and $13.32B, respectively .
  • Results beat S&P Global consensus: EPS $1.37 vs $1.21 estimate (+$0.16) and revenue $167.69M vs $165.99M estimate (+$1.70M). The company also beat Q1 estimates; see Estimates Context below.*
  • Asset quality remained stable: ACL/loans 1.27%, NPAs/assets 0.71% (linked quarter 0.72%), with provision down to $3.5M; nonperforming balances tied to two Southern California CRE relationships remain well-secured, with bankruptcy stay relief recently granted .
  • Dividend increased to $0.31/share for Q3 2025, and management guided for relatively stable NIM and net interest income dollar growth over the next four quarters; mid-single-digit EPS accretion expected from the Q4 branch acquisition, and sub debt is expected to be called in the next call period .
  • Trading catalysts: continued NIM stability despite rate path uncertainty, execution on branch acquisition integration, resolution of SoCal nonperformers, and incremental SBA loan sale gains supporting fee income .

What Went Well and What Went Wrong

What Went Well

  • NIM and net interest income expansion: NIM up to 4.21% (+6 bps q/q), net interest income $152.8M (+$5.2M q/q), driven by higher loan/securities balances and yields, and deposit repricing discipline .
  • Diversified loan and deposit growth: Loans +$110.1M q/q (annualized 4%), deposits +$283.1M q/q (+$72.9M ex-brokered CDs), with noninterest-bearing deposits at 32.5% and L/D ratio ~86% .
  • Fee income tailwinds: Noninterest income $20.6M (+$2.1M q/q), supported by BOLI income increases and community development investment income; $24.4M SBA loans sold for $1.2M gain .
  • Management confidence and discipline: “Our second quarter results demonstrated expansion in net interest income and net interest margin, continuing the strong start to 2025” — Jim Lally, CEO .

What Went Wrong

  • Higher operating expenses: Noninterest expense rose to $105.7M (+$5.9M q/q), driven by compensation, deposit vertical costs, and loan/legal expenses related to workouts/OREO .
  • Elevated NPAs vs prior year: NPAs/assets 0.71% vs 0.33% prior year, largely from two SoCal CRE relationships in bankruptcy; though management expects full collection, legal/workout costs increased .
  • Near-term NIM headwinds to manage: CFO flagged potential minor margin pressure from larger securities portfolio funded by brokered CDs and a temporary step-up in sub debt cost upon floating-rate reset, albeit with overall stability outlook maintained .

Financial Results

MetricQ2 2024Q1 2025Q2 2025
Diluted EPS ($)$1.19 $1.31 $1.36
Adjusted Diluted EPS ($)$1.21 $1.31 $1.37
Net Interest Income ($M)$140.53 $147.52 $152.76
Noninterest Income ($M)$15.49 $18.48 $20.60
Provision for Credit Losses ($M)$4.82 $5.18 $3.47
Net Interest Margin (%)4.19 4.15 4.21
ROAA (%)1.25 1.30 1.30
ROATCE (%)13.77 14.02 13.84
Loans ($B)$11.00 $11.30 $11.41
Deposits ($B)$12.28 $13.03 $13.32
Cost of Deposits (%)2.16 1.83 1.82
NPL / Loans (%)0.36 0.97 0.93
NPAs / Assets (%)0.33 0.72 0.71
ACL / Loans (%)1.27 1.27 1.27

Segment loan breakdown ($M):

CategoryQ2 2024Q1 2025Q2 2025
C&I2,107.10 2,198.80 2,316.61
CRE Investor Owned2,308.93 2,487.38 2,547.86
CRE Owner Occupied1,313.74 1,292.16 1,281.57
SBA Loans*1,269.15 1,283.07 1,249.23
Sponsor Finance*865.88 784.02 771.28
Life Insurance Premium Financing*996.15 1,149.12 1,155.62
Tax Credits*738.25 677.43 708.40
Residential Real Estate339.89 357.62 356.72
Construction & Land Dev.791.78 800.99 773.12
Other269.14 268.19 248.43
Total Loans11,000.01 11,298.76 11,408.84
*Specialty loan category.

KPIs:

KPIQ2 2024Q1 2025Q2 2025
Tangible Book Value/Share ($)35.02 38.54 40.02
TCE / TA (%)9.18 9.30 9.42
CET1 (%)11.7 11.8 11.9
Core Efficiency Ratio (%)58.09 58.77 59.32

Guidance Changes

MetricPeriodPrevious GuidanceCurrent GuidanceChange
NIM outlook2H25Stable-to-slightly up absent rate cuts “Relatively stable moving forward”; minor near-term pressure from securities/brokered CDs and sub debt float reset Maintained (clarified near-term dynamics)
Net Interest Income dollarsNext 4 quartersImplicit growth with discipline Expect growth in NII dollars for foreseeable four quarters on existing balance sheet Maintained/confirmed
Loan growth2H253–4% annualized pace in 1H25 Expect 5–7% in back half on pent-up demand and clarity on tax/trade policy Raised
EPS accretion from branch dealFirst full year post-closeN/AMid single-digit accretion expected; slightly better margin than legacy New
Capital actions (sub debt)Q3 2025Fixed 5.75% converted to float in June 2025 Anticipate calling sub debt in the second call period (affects Q3) New
DividendQ3 2025$0.30/share Q2 Increased to $0.31/share Raised

Earnings Call Themes & Trends

TopicQ4 2024 (prior year end)Q1 2025 (Q-1)Q2 2025 (current)Trend
Margin outlookNIM 4.13%; deposit repricing mitigated variable loan repricing NIM 4.15%; stability after rate cuts NIM 4.21%; near-term minor pressure, overall stability; NII growth expected Improving/stable
Deposit verticals$3.39B; cost ~2.72% $3.52B; cost ~2.68% $3.59B; cost ~2.71% Growing; low-cost funding
Loan growth+$140.5M q/q; broad-based +$78.4M q/q; C&I strength +$110.1M q/q; C&I, investor CRE; originations yield 7.26% Reaccelerating
SBA loan salesGains variable; fourth quarter tax credit gain offset $1.9M gain on SBA sales $1.2M gain; opportunistic sales to support fee income and balance sheet Ongoing tactical use
Southern CA nonperformersNPAs rose; two relationships monitored Bankruptcy filings; expect full collection; LTVs strong Relief from stay granted; expect to enforce rights and remedies Progress toward resolution
Branch acquisitionAnnounced 12 branches; deposits ~$740M Expected close early Q4 2025 EPS accretive; better margin; leverages excess capital Execution phase

Management Commentary

  • “Our second quarter results demonstrated expansion in net interest income and net interest margin, continuing the strong start to 2025.” — Jim Lally, President & CEO .
  • “We believe our balance sheet is well positioned for the current rate environment and expect net interest margin to be relatively stable moving forward.” — Keene Turner, CFO .
  • “We are prepared to continue to guide our clients through these times… The combination of our business model, an improved economy and ongoing disruption from M&A should make for a very strong financial performance.” — Jim Lally .
  • “We do anticipate calling the sub debt in the second call period here… we’re comfortable running with a little bit higher TCE or CET1 as we evaluate options to modify the capital stack.” — Keene Turner .

Q&A Highlights

  • Fee income run-rate: Expect recurring ~$1M BOLI per quarter; SBA sales likely continue; community development/private equity distributions lumpy; tax credit JV neutral in Q3 with seasonal strength in Q4 .
  • Expense trajectory: Compensation higher from merit increases, incentives, new hires; deposit costs step up ~$1.1–1.5M sequentially as verticals grow; legal/workout expenses remain elevated near term .
  • Margin path: Slight dip possible tied to securities/brokered CDs and floating sub debt; absent rate cuts, NIM stable to up; with cuts, a few bps pressure per cut with lag in deposit repricing .
  • Loan growth outlook: Pipelines strong; expect acceleration to 5–7% in H2 on clarity around tax and trade policy; maintain pricing discipline .
  • Capital priorities: Branch acquisition leverages ~100 bps of capital; plan to call sub debt; dividend policy under ongoing evaluation .

Estimates Context

Metric (S&P Global)Q2 2025 EstimateQ2 2025 ActualSurprise
Primary EPS Consensus Mean ($)1.20751.37+$0.1625
Revenue Consensus Mean ($M)165.99167.69+$1.70
Metric (S&P Global)Q1 2025 EstimateQ1 2025 ActualSurprise
Primary EPS Consensus Mean ($)1.1721.31+$0.138
Revenue Consensus Mean ($M)162.83158.21-$4.62

Values retrieved from S&P Global.*
Notes: EFSC reported GAAP diluted EPS $1.36 and adjusted $1.37 in Q2; S&P actual for EPS reflects primary EPS (adjusted). EFSC “Revenue” here reflects total operating revenue per S&P; company-reported net interest income and noninterest income are shown in Financial Results .

Key Takeaways for Investors

  • EFSC delivered a clean EPS and revenue beat with NIM expansion and strong core NII; the balance sheet is positioned for stable margins even without further rate cuts .
  • Deposits continue to grow with low-cost verticals supporting funding; deposit costs edged down to 1.82% and should benefit if rates drift lower, albeit with some lag .
  • Asset quality is stable; SoCal nonperformers remain the key watch item, but management has secured bankruptcy stay relief and expects full collection; legal/workout costs may persist near term .
  • Operating leverage is a focus: expenses are elevated from growth initiatives and deposit verticals; monitor core efficiency ratio (59.3%) trajectory and expense normalization post-branch close .
  • Tactical SBA loan sales provide incremental fee income and balance sheet flexibility; expect continued opportunistic gains in Q3/Q4 .
  • Capital deployment: dividend raised to $0.31; sub debt call expected; branch acquisition EPS accretion mid-single digits offers upside to 2026 run-rate if integration executes as planned .
  • Near-term trade: NIM stability and EPS resilience support the bull case; risks include rate-cut beta on deposits, legal costs, and integration execution. Watch Q3 margin print and updates on SoCal recoveries .