Alliancebernstein L.P. Buys 20,930 Shares of ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA)

Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA - Free Report) by 123.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 37,898 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 20,930 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 0.37% of ESSA Bancorp worth $739,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ESSA. Barclays PLC raised its stake in ESSA Bancorp by 184.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 13,723 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 8,895 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 126.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,567 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 8,136 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 115,996 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,229,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 26,107 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $509,000 after purchasing an additional 3,568 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in ESSA Bancorp by 2.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 186,094 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,577,000 after purchasing an additional 4,431 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.15% of the company's stock.

ESSA Bancorp Stock Up 3.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ ESSA traded up $0.69 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $18.20. 10,080 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,600. The firm has a market capitalization of $184.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.46 and a beta of 0.32. The business's fifty day moving average is $19.27 and its 200 day moving average is $19.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. ESSA Bancorp, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $15.29 and a fifty-two week high of $22.22.

ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter. ESSA Bancorp had a return on equity of 7.27% and a net margin of 14.83%.

ESSA Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. ESSA Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on ESSA Bancorp in a research note on Saturday. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock.

About ESSA Bancorp

ESSA Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for ESSA Bank & Trust that provides a range of financial services to individuals, families, and businesses in Pennsylvania. The company accepts savings accounts, interest bearing demand accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, club accounts, certificates of deposit and IRAs, and other qualified plan accounts, as well as commercial checking accounts.