Horizon Investment Services LLC Increases Position in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ)

Horizon Investment Services LLC increased its position in shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) by 24.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 33,389 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,572 shares during the period. Horizon Investment Services LLC owned 0.40% of Esquire Financial worth $2,654,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Esquire Financial by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,340 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,174,000 after buying an additional 3,840 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 387,730 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,825,000 after acquiring an additional 21,266 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 16.8% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 166,915 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,270,000 after acquiring an additional 23,998 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Esquire Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $657,000. Finally, Delphi Management Inc. MA increased its position in Esquire Financial by 33.8% in the fourth quarter. Delphi Management Inc. MA now owns 2,776 shares of the company's stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 701 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.66% of the company's stock.

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Esquire Financial Stock Down 0.7 %

ESQ traded down $0.54 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $75.01. The company had a trading volume of 29,298 shares, compared to its average volume of 45,482. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.94. The stock has a market cap of $632.48 million, a P/E ratio of 14.54 and a beta of 0.78. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $44.45 and a 52 week high of $90.18.

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

Esquire Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This is a positive change from Esquire Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Esquire Financial's payout ratio is 13.57%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Richard T. Powers sold 1,427 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.99, for a total value of $124,134.73. Following the transaction, the director now owns 58,997 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,132,149.03. This trade represents a 2.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Selig Zises sold 20,000 shares of Esquire Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.59, for a total transaction of $1,551,800.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 35,501 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,754,522.59. This represents a 36.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 18.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.