Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) Sets New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $93.73 and last traded at $93.73, with a volume of 191801 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $89.30.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Esquire Financial from $85.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th.

Esquire Financial Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $769.35 million, a P/E ratio of 17.19 and a beta of 0.53. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $88.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.29.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 business had revenue of $33.76 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.71 million. Esquire Financial had a net margin of 31.37% and a return on equity of 19.20%. As a group, analysts expect that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Esquire Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.175 per share. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. Esquire Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.23%.

Insider Transactions at Esquire Financial

In related news, Director Kevin C. Waterhouse sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.87, for a total transaction of $251,610.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 86,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,263,058.13. This trade represents a 3.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Ari P. Kornhaber sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.51, for a total value of $1,670,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 104,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,738,820.44. This represents a 16.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 18.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Esquire Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ESQ. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 85.6% during the first quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 779,889 shares of the company's stock worth $58,788,000 after purchasing an additional 359,677 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 402,688 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,355,000 after buying an additional 14,958 shares during the last quarter. Ampfield Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 11.9% in the first quarter. Ampfield Management L.P. now owns 281,502 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,220,000 after buying an additional 29,869 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 2.1% during the first quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 224,941 shares of the company's stock worth $16,956,000 after acquiring an additional 4,545 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 25.8% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 209,991 shares of the company's stock worth $15,829,000 after acquiring an additional 43,076 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 54.66% of the company's stock.

Esquire Financial Company Profile

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.