ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) Short Interest Update

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 39,100 shares, a growth of 48.1% from the February 28th total of 26,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 26,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days. Currently, 0.5% of the company’s stock are short sold.

ESSA Bancorp Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ ESSA traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $18.93. The stock had a trading volume of 9,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,330. The business’s 50 day moving average is $20.51 and its 200-day moving average is $19.83. ESSA Bancorp has a 52 week low of $15.29 and a 52 week high of $22.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market cap of $192.23 million, a P/E ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 0.40.

ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. ESSA Bancorp had a return on equity of 7.27% and a net margin of 14.83%.

ESSA Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. ESSA Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on ESSA Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ESSA Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FJ Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in ESSA Bancorp by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC now owns 967,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,860,000 after acquiring an additional 25,176 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 123.3% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 37,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $739,000 after purchasing an additional 20,930 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in ESSA Bancorp by 104.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,733 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 15,166 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in ESSA Bancorp by 184.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 13,723 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 8,895 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 7,696 shares during the last quarter. 54.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.