Alliancebernstein L.P. Has $739,000 Stake in ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA)

Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA - Free Report) by 123.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 37,898 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 20,930 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 0.37% of ESSA Bancorp worth $739,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ESSA. State Street Corp increased its holdings in ESSA Bancorp by 0.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 115,996 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,229,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in ESSA Bancorp by 184.2% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in ESSA Bancorp by 2.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 186,094 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,577,000 after buying an additional 4,431 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 126.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,567 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 8,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,508 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $946,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.15% of the company's stock.

ESSA Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ ESSA traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $18.36. The stock had a trading volume of 1,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,421. 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 50 day simple moving average of $19.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.68. The company has a market cap of $186.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.55 and a beta of 0.32. ESSA Bancorp, Inc. has a 52-week low of $15.29 and a 52-week high of $22.22.

ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $16.23 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.19 million. ESSA Bancorp had a net margin of 14.83% and a return on equity of 7.27%.

ESSA Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. ESSA Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on ESSA Bancorp in a research report on Saturday, April 19th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock.

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.