Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Esquire Financial from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Esquire Financial in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on Esquire Financial from $113.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.00.

Esquire Financial Stock Performance

Shares of ESQ opened at $108.17 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $927.02 million, a P/E ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 0.43. Esquire Financial has a twelve month low of $68.90 and a twelve month high of $134.82. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $104.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.86.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $6.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.93 million. Esquire Financial had a return on equity of 18.72% and a net margin of 30.90%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Esquire Financial will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $0.175 dividend. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Esquire Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.90%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esquire Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in Esquire Financial by 376.6% during the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 1,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,000 after buying an additional 1,269 shares during the last quarter. Cox Capital Mgt LLC grew its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Cox Capital Mgt LLC now owns 38,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,990,000 after acquiring an additional 706 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 36.0% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,254 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 861 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. bought a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $220,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Esquire Financial by 48.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $864,000 after purchasing an additional 2,782 shares during the last quarter. 54.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.