Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) Sees Strong Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 40,183 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 13% from the previous session’s volume of 35,607 shares.The stock last traded at $78.73 and had previously closed at $78.10.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on ESQ shares. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $75.00 target price (up previously from $72.00) on shares of Esquire Financial in a report on Friday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Esquire Financial from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th.

Esquire Financial Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $75.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.67. The company has a market cap of $656.03 million, a P/E ratio of 15.86 and a beta of 0.74.

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Esquire Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Rena Nigam purchased 640 shares of Esquire Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $77.50 per share, for a total transaction of $49,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $144,692.50. The trade was a 52.16 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph Melohn sold 3,000 shares of Esquire Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.15, for a total value of $237,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $291,509.45. The trade was a 44.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 18.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esquire Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESQ. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Esquire Financial by 36.6% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,000 after buying an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 11,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $535,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. Rosenthal Henry Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Esquire Financial by 2.0% in the third quarter. Rosenthal Henry Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 40,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,661,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Esquire Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.66% of the company’s stock.

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.