Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC Sells 21,383 Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ)

Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) by 20.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 82,983 shares of the company's stock after selling 21,383 shares during the period. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC owned about 1.00% of Esquire Financial worth $6,597,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ESQ. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $545,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 55,676 shares of the company's stock worth $4,426,000 after acquiring an additional 1,014 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 15,275 shares of the company's stock worth $1,214,000 after acquiring an additional 1,095 shares during the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new position in Esquire Financial during the 4th quarter worth $306,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 185,901 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,783,000 after acquiring an additional 3,642 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.66% of the company's stock.

Esquire Financial Price Performance

ESQ stock traded up $0.60 during trading on Thursday, reaching $80.11. 23,413 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 46,318. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $44.45 and a twelve month high of $90.18. The company has a market capitalization of $675.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.51 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a 50-day moving average of $76.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $75.85.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 31.58% and a return on equity of 19.93%. On average, analysts forecast that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Esquire Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.175 dividend. This is a positive change from Esquire Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Esquire Financial's payout ratio is currently 13.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on ESQ. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective 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. Raymond James downgraded Esquire Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $85.00 target price (up from $80.00) on shares of Esquire Financial in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

Insider Transactions at Esquire Financial

In related news, Director Richard T. Powers sold 1,427 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Selig Zises sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 35,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,754,522.59. This trade represents a 36.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 18.90% of the company's stock.

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.