Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Should You Buy?

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 76,979 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 55% from the previous session's volume of 49,698 shares.The stock last traded at $89.34 and had previously closed at $89.38.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Esquire Financial Stock Down 0.0%

The business's 50-day simple moving average is $83.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.54. The stock has a market cap of $767.67 million, a PE ratio of 17.58 and a beta of 0.51.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.03. Esquire Financial had a net margin of 31.58% and a return on equity of 19.93%. The firm had revenue of $33.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $30.71 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.175 dividend. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Esquire Financial's payout ratio is 13.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Esquire Financial

In other news, Director Kevin C. Waterhouse sold 3,000 shares of Esquire Financial stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,263,058.13. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ari P. Kornhaber sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.51, for a total transaction of $1,670,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 104,644 shares in the company, valued at $8,738,820.44. The trade was a 16.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 18.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Esquire Financial

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ESQ. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in Esquire Financial during the first quarter worth about $26,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in Esquire Financial during the first quarter worth about $51,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 151.0% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 788 shares of the company's stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Esquire Financial in the first quarter worth approximately $106,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Esquire Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $207,000. Institutional investors own 54.66% of the company's stock.

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.