Wasatch Advisors LP Sells 51,804 Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. $ESQ

Wasatch Advisors LP lessened its holdings in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) by 15.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 292,242 shares of the company’s stock after selling 51,804 shares during the quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP’s holdings in Esquire Financial were worth $34,809,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ESQ. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised 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 valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $93,000. 54.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESQ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Esquire Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Esquire Financial from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Esquire Financial currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $120.33.

Esquire Financial Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of ESQ stock opened at $132.92 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.93 and a beta of 0.38. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.10 and a 52-week high of $134.82. The company’s 50 day moving average is $119.81 and its 200 day moving average is $112.43.

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

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Esquire Financial

In related news, Director Robert Mitzman sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.60, for a total transaction of $388,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 139,679 shares in the company, valued at $18,102,398.40. This represents a 2.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 13.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Esquire Financial Company Profile

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.