Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) Given New $94.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $85.00 to $94.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "market perform" rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' target price would indicate a potential upside of 11.74% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts have also commented on ESQ. Raymond James lowered Esquire Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Esquire Financial from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th.

Esquire Financial Stock Performance

Shares of ESQ traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $84.13. The stock had a trading volume of 11,539 shares, compared to its average volume of 46,865. Esquire Financial has a fifty-two week low of $44.55 and a fifty-two week high of $90.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $76.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $709.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.30 and a beta of 0.52.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $33.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $30.71 million. Esquire Financial had a return on equity of 19.93% and a net margin of 31.58%. As a group, analysts predict that Esquire Financial will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Selig Zises sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.59, for a total value of $1,551,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,501 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,754,522.59. This trade represents a 36.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Richard T. Powers sold 1,427 shares of Esquire Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.99, for a total value of $124,134.73. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 58,997 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,132,149.03. The trade was a 2.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 18.90% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esquire Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Esquire Financial by 322.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,308 shares of the company's stock worth $672,000 after purchasing an additional 7,869 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 182,259 shares of the company's stock worth $11,887,000 after buying an additional 6,025 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the third quarter valued at $252,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Esquire Financial by 161.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 23,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,532,000 after buying an additional 14,521 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Esquire Financial by 38.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,203 shares of the company's stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. 54.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Esquire Financial

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.

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