Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.20

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of 0.20 per share on Monday, March 2nd. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This is a 14.3% increase from Esquire Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18.

Esquire Financial has a payout ratio of 11.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Esquire Financial to earn $6.02 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.70 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 11.6%.

Esquire Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ ESQ traded up $2.01 on Tuesday, reaching $112.49. 7,909 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 89,290. Esquire Financial has a 12 month low of $68.90 and a 12 month high of $134.82. The company has a market cap of $964.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $105.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $101.32.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). Esquire Financial had a net margin of 30.90% and a return on equity of 18.72%. The firm had revenue of $39.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.93 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Esquire Financial will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ESQ shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Esquire Financial in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Esquire Financial from $113.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Esquire Financial from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Esquire Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.00.

Esquire Financial Company Profile

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc is a bank holding company whose principal subsidiary, Esquire Bank, specializes in residential mortgage lending and community banking services. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the company operates through multiple distribution channels, including retail branches, wholesale and correspondent lending divisions. Esquire Financial focuses on tailored home financing solutions while maintaining a community-oriented approach to banking.

In its mortgage lending business, Esquire Bank originates and services a range of home loan products, including government-insured mortgages (FHA, VA and USDA) as well as conventional conforming and jumbo loans.