Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) Short Interest Update

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 434,300 shares, a decline of 26.3% from the February 13th total of 589,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 76,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.7 days. Approximately 6.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Esquire Financial Stock Performance

Esquire Financial stock traded down $1.60 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $71.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 22,444 shares, compared to its average volume of 43,179. The firm has a market capitalization of $594.99 million, a PE ratio of 13.89 and a beta of 0.78. Esquire Financial has a fifty-two week low of $44.45 and a fifty-two week high of $90.18. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $81.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.77.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.37 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%. Equities analysts predict that Esquire Financial will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Esquire Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.175 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. This is a boost from Esquire Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Esquire Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Transactions at Esquire Financial

In related news, Director Selig Zises sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.59, for a total value of $1,551,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 35,501 shares in the company, valued at $2,754,522.59. This represents a 36.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard T. Powers sold 1,427 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.99, for a total transaction of $124,134.73. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,997 shares in the company, valued at $5,132,149.03. The trade was a 2.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 24,427 shares of company stock worth $1,913,385. Corporate insiders own 18.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esquire Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in Esquire Financial by 151.0% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Esquire Financial by 14.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,115 shares of the company’s stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial in the third quarter valued at about $180,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $207,000. 54.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Esquire Financial

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.