Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) Sees Strong Trading Volume - Time to Buy?

Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 50,111 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 16% from the previous session's volume of 59,605 shares.The stock last traded at $101.13 and had previously closed at $99.25.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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 research report on Tuesday, April 29th.

Esquire Financial Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $91.65 and a 200 day moving average of $83.82. The company has a market cap of $826.12 million, a PE ratio of 18.46 and a beta of 0.52.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.03. Esquire Financial had a return on equity of 19.20% and a net margin of 31.37%. The business had revenue of $33.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.71 million. Equities research analysts expect that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.175 dividend. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. Esquire Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Esquire Financial news, Director Kevin C. Waterhouse sold 3,000 shares of Esquire Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.87, for a total value of $251,610.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 86,599 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,263,058.13. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ari P. Kornhaber sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.51, for a total transaction of $1,670,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 104,644 shares in the company, valued at $8,738,820.44. This trade represents a 16.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 18.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Esquire Financial

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,407,000. Royce & Associates LP acquired a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $4,640,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 215.3% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 81,087 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,113,000 after acquiring an additional 55,367 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 25.8% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 209,991 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,829,000 after acquiring an additional 43,076 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ampfield Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 11.9% during the first quarter. Ampfield Management L.P. now owns 281,502 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,220,000 after acquiring an additional 29,869 shares during the last quarter. 54.66% of the stock is 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.