Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) Short Interest Update

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 439,600 shares, an increase of 35.7% from the January 15th total of 323,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 69,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.3 days. Currently, 6.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ESQ. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $85.00 price objective (up from $80.00) on shares of Esquire Financial in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Raymond James lowered shares of Esquire Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Esquire Financial from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

Esquire Financial Stock Up 2.2 %

Esquire Financial stock traded up $1.86 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $85.64. The stock had a trading volume of 46,155 shares, compared to its average volume of 96,182. The stock has a market cap of $712.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.60 and a beta of 0.73. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $82.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.47. Esquire Financial has a one year low of $44.45 and a one year high of $90.18.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.01). Esquire Financial had a net margin of 31.58% and a return on equity of 19.93%. Research analysts anticipate that Esquire Financial will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Esquire Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.175 per share. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Esquire Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Esquire Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.63%.

Insider Activity at Esquire Financial

In related news, Director Selig Zises sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.77, for a total value of $614,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 62,601 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,805,878.77. This represents a 11.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph Melohn sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.15, for a total transaction of $237,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,683 shares in the company, valued at approximately $291,509.45. This represents a 44.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,427 shares of company stock worth $975,745. Company insiders own 18.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Esquire Financial

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESQ. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 566,001 shares of the company's stock worth $36,909,000 after buying an additional 4,426 shares in the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $33,407,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Esquire Financial by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 387,730 shares of the company's stock worth $30,825,000 after acquiring an additional 21,266 shares in the last quarter. Ampfield Management L.P. grew its holdings in Esquire Financial by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Ampfield Management L.P. now owns 251,633 shares of the company's stock worth $20,005,000 after purchasing an additional 24,773 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 3,642 shares in the last quarter. 54.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.