Wasatch Advisors LP Sells 103,400 Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ)

Wasatch Advisors LP reduced its stake in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) by 18.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 462,601 shares of the company’s stock after selling 103,400 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP owned 5.56% of Esquire Financial worth $36,777,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ESQ. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Esquire Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $33,407,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 387,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,825,000 after purchasing an additional 21,266 shares in the last quarter. Ampfield Management L.P. increased its holdings in Esquire Financial by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Ampfield Management L.P. now owns 251,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,005,000 after buying an additional 24,773 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Esquire Financial by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 185,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,783,000 after buying an additional 3,642 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Esquire Financial by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 166,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,270,000 after buying an additional 23,998 shares during the period. 54.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Selig Zises sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.59, for a total value of $1,551,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 35,501 shares in the company, valued at $2,754,522.59. This trade represents a 36.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Richard T. Powers sold 1,427 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.99, for a total value of $124,134.73. Following the sale, the director now owns 58,997 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,132,149.03. The trade was a 2.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 18.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Esquire Financial Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of ESQ stock opened at $79.51 on Thursday. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $44.45 and a 12-month high of $90.18. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $76.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $75.85. The company has a market cap of $670.43 million, a PE ratio of 15.41 and a beta of 0.52.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.01). Esquire Financial had a net margin of 31.58% and a return on equity of 19.93%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Esquire Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.175 dividend. This is a positive change from Esquire Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Esquire Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $85.00 price target (up from $80.00) on shares of Esquire Financial in a report on Monday, January 27th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Esquire Financial from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Raymond James cut shares of Esquire Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th.

Esquire Financial Profile

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Esquire Bank, National Association that provides commercial banking products and services to legal industry and small businesses, and commercial and retail customers in the United States. The company offers checking, savings, money market, and time deposits, as well as certificates of deposit.