Horizon Investment Services LLC Takes Position in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. $ESQ

Horizon Investment Services LLC acquired a new stake in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 35,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,229,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 247.8% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 64.3% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 352.5% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Esquire Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $93,000. 54.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESQ has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Esquire Financial from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Esquire Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Esquire Financial has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.33.

Esquire Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ ESQ opened at $128.06 on Monday. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $92.10 and a one year high of $134.82. The company has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.13 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $121.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $112.89.

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

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. 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 is 13.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Esquire Financial

In related news, Director Robert Mitzman sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.60, for a total transaction of $388,800.00. Following 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 13.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.