Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Sells 5,581 Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 47,817 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,581 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.57% of Esquire Financial worth $3,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ESQ. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 36.6% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 798 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Esquire Financial by 14.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,115 shares of the company's stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Rosenthal Henry Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Esquire Financial by 2.0% during the third quarter. Rosenthal Henry Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 40,800 shares of the company's stock worth $2,661,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Esquire Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 38.3% during 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. 54.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Esquire Financial Stock Performance

ESQ traded down $0.34 on Monday, hitting $76.78. 55,756 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 90,306. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $638.89 million, a PE ratio of 14.88 and a beta of 0.73. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $44.45 and a 12 month high of $90.18.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last issued 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Esquire Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.175 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Esquire Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Esquire Financial's payout ratio is 13.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on ESQ shares. Piper Sandler upped their target price on 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 cut shares of Esquire Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $85.00 target price (up previously from $80.00) on shares of Esquire Financial in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Richard T. Powers sold 1,427 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.99, for a total transaction of $124,134.73. Following the sale, the director now owns 58,997 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,132,149.03. The trade was a 2.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Joseph Melohn sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.15, for a total transaction of $237,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,683 shares in the company, valued at approximately $291,509.45. This trade represents a 44.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 18.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Esquire Financial Company 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.