ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) Now Covered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA - Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the financial services provider's stock.

ESSA Bancorp Trading Down 0.6 %

NASDAQ:ESSA traded down $0.11 on Friday, reaching $17.31. The stock had a trading volume of 568 shares, compared to its average volume of 24,519. ESSA Bancorp has a 12-month low of $15.29 and a 12-month high of $22.22. The firm's fifty day moving average is $19.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company has a market cap of $175.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 0.32.

ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. ESSA Bancorp had a net margin of 14.83% and a return on equity of 7.27%.

ESSA Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. ESSA Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.48%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ESSA Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ESSA. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 0.5% during the 3rd 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 period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 186,717 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,641,000 after buying an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 1.9% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 4,922 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 12,672 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 1,107 shares during the last quarter. 54.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESSA Bancorp Company Profile

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.