Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. $ESQ Shares Bought by Sei Investments Co.

Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) by 38.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 26,309 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,302 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Esquire Financial were worth $2,830,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ESQ. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 800,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,703,000 after acquiring an additional 23,692 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Esquire Financial by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 450,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,990,000 after purchasing an additional 11,699 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in Esquire Financial by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 368,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,563,000 after purchasing an additional 1,878 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its position in Esquire Financial by 14.7% during the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 304,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,750,000 after purchasing an additional 39,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ampfield Management L.P. increased its stake in Esquire Financial by 23.0% during the 1st quarter. Ampfield Management L.P. now owns 233,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,071,000 after purchasing an additional 43,633 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on ESQ. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Esquire Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Esquire Financial from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Esquire Financial currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $120.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Esquire Financial news, Director Robert Mitzman sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.60, for a total transaction of $388,800.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 139,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,102,398.40. This trade represents a 2.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 13.90% of the company’s stock.

Esquire Financial Stock Up 0.0%

Esquire Financial stock opened at $131.38 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $118.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $112.06. The company has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.68 and a beta of 0.38. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $91.64 and a 52 week high of $134.82.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.04. Esquire Financial had a net margin of 29.30% and a return on equity of 18.59%. The company had revenue of $42.13 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $41.59 million. Research analysts anticipate that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 6.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Esquire Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Esquire Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.20%.

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.