Squarepoint Ops LLC Acquires 36,792 Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. $ESQ

Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its holdings in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) by 1,235.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,769 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 36,792 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in Esquire Financial were worth $4,737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 4.3% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 2,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank grew its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 4,178 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in Esquire Financial by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 13,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,574,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co increased its position in Esquire Financial by 11.7% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Esquire Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Esquire Financial from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. One investment 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert Mitzman sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 139,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,102,398.40. This trade represents a 2.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 13.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Esquire Financial Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of ESQ stock opened at $119.86 on Friday. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $92.10 and a 1-year high of $134.82. The stock has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.78 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $121.60 and a 200-day moving average of $113.72.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.04. Esquire Financial had a return on equity of 18.22% and a net margin of 29.30%.The business had revenue of $42.13 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $41.59 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 6.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Esquire Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. 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.