6,851 Shares in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) Bought by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,851 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $545,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.08% of Esquire Financial at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ESQ. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Esquire Financial by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,115 shares of the company's stock valued at $138,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the period. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Esquire Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Meridian Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Esquire Financial during the fourth quarter worth $238,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $252,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 38.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,203 shares of the company's stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Esquire Financial Trading Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ:ESQ traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $77.04. 40,470 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 46,527. The stock has a market capitalization of $649.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.93 and a beta of 0.52. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $44.45 and a one year high of $90.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.63.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.01). Esquire Financial had a return on equity of 19.93% and a net margin of 31.58%. Equities research analysts predict that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Esquire Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.175 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. This is a boost from Esquire Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Esquire Financial's dividend payout ratio is 13.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Esquire Financial news, Director Selig Zises sold 20,000 shares of Esquire Financial 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 directly owns 35,501 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,754,522.59. The trade was a 36.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard T. Powers sold 1,427 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 2.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 18.90% of the company's stock.

Esquire Financial Profile

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.