Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.01 EPS

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01), Zacks reports. Esquire Financial had a net margin of 31.26% and a return on equity of 18.55%.

Esquire Financial Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of ESQ traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $110.08. 21,992 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 49,137. Esquire Financial has a 12 month low of $68.90 and a 12 month high of $134.82. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $104.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.73. The company has a market capitalization of $943.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 0.43.

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were given a dividend of $0.175 per share. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. Esquire Financial’s payout ratio is presently 12.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Esquire Financial

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ESQ. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted 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 acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Esquire Financial by 2.8% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 11,937 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,130,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the period. Comerica Bank boosted its holdings in Esquire Financial by 50.2% in the third quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,289 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Esquire Financial by 9.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Esquire Financial by 352.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 810 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 54.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Esquire Financial in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Esquire Financial from $113.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Esquire Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, November 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $113.00.

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.