Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) Director Selig Zises Sells 25,000 Shares of Stock

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) Director Selig Zises sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total value of $2,663,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $905,696.54. The trade was a 74.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Selig Zises also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, March 19th, Selig Zises sold 5,000 shares of Esquire Financial stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.10, for a total value of $525,500.00.

Esquire Financial Stock Down 0.7%

ESQ stock opened at $105.45 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $910.78 million, a P/E ratio of 17.93 and a beta of 0.47. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $69.14 and a 52 week high of $134.82. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $107.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $103.45.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $39.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.93 million. Esquire Financial had a net margin of 30.90% and a return on equity of 18.28%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Esquire Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Esquire Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Esquire Financial’s payout ratio is currently 13.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Esquire Financial from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised Esquire Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Esquire Financial from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of Esquire Financial from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $125.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Esquire Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $120.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esquire Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Esquire Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in Esquire Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Esquire Financial by 247.8% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 553 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in Esquire Financial by 64.3% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Esquire Financial by 352.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. 54.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Esquire Financial

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc is a bank holding company whose principal subsidiary, Esquire Bank, specializes in residential mortgage lending and community banking services. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the company operates through multiple distribution channels, including retail branches, wholesale and correspondent lending divisions. Esquire Financial focuses on tailored home financing solutions while maintaining a community-oriented approach to banking.

In its mortgage lending business, Esquire Bank originates and services a range of home loan products, including government-insured mortgages (FHA, VA and USDA) as well as conventional conforming and jumbo loans.