ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) Coverage Initiated at StockNews.com

Research analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA - Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Thursday. The brokerage set a "hold" rating on the financial services provider's stock.

ESSA Bancorp Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of ESSA traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $21.80. The stock had a trading volume of 19,367 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,828. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.26. ESSA Bancorp has a 12 month low of $15.29 and a 12 month high of $21.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market capitalization of $221.27 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.53 and a beta of 0.40.

ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter. ESSA Bancorp had a net margin of 14.83% and a return on equity of 7.33%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESSA Bancorp

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESSA. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 2.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 186,094 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,577,000 after purchasing an additional 4,431 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,508 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $946,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 51.8% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 22,539 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $433,000 after buying an additional 7,696 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northeast Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 4.5% in the third quarter. Northeast Financial Group Inc. now owns 16,346 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.15% of the company's 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.