Robert Mitzman Sells 3,000 Shares of Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) Stock

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) Director Robert Mitzman sold 3,000 shares of Esquire Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.60, for a total value of $388,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 139,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,102,398.40. This trade represents a 2.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Esquire Financial Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:ESQ traded up $2.17 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $131.40. 46,807 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 109,634. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $116.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.68 and a beta of 0.39. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $91.64 and a 12 month high of $134.82.

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

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Esquire Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.20%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Esquire Financial

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 800,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,703,000 after purchasing an additional 23,692 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Esquire Financial by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 450,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,990,000 after buying an additional 11,699 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in Esquire Financial by 0.5% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 368,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,563,000 after buying an additional 1,878 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Esquire Financial by 14.7% in the first quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 304,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,750,000 after buying an additional 39,097 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ampfield Management L.P. grew its position in Esquire Financial by 23.0% during the first quarter. Ampfield Management L.P. now owns 233,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,071,000 after acquiring an additional 43,633 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Esquire Financial from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Esquire Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. One 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Esquire Financial presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.33.

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.