Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) Short Interest Down 17.0% in January

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 550,205 shares, a decrease of 17.0% from the January 15th total of 662,717 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 128,808 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.3 days. Currently, 7.8% of the company’s shares are short sold. Currently, 7.8% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 128,808 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.3 days.

Esquire Financial Price Performance

Shares of ESQ traded up $1.49 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $110.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 100,092 shares, compared to its average volume of 101,083. Esquire Financial has a 12-month low of $68.90 and a 12-month high of $134.82. The stock has a market cap of $946.30 million, a PE ratio of 18.78 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50 day moving average is $107.79 and its 200 day moving average is $102.34.

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

Esquire Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $0.20 dividend. This is a boost from Esquire Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Esquire Financial’s payout ratio is presently 13.61%.

Institutional Trading of Esquire Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESQ. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in Esquire Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 64.3% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Esquire Financial by 352.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in Esquire Financial during the third quarter worth $93,000. 54.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Esquire Financial from $113.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Esquire Financial from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Esquire Financial in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of 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 issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Esquire Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.00.

About Esquire Financial

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.