Nuveen LLC Invests $1.69 Million in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. $ESQ

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC acquired 22,467 shares in Esquire Financial Holdings, valued at approximately $1.69 million, increasing its stake to 0.27% of the company.
• Insider transactions included Director Selig Zises selling 17,000 shares for a total of $1.69 million, representing a 44.74% decrease in ownership.
• Esquire Financial recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.175 per share, with a payout ratio of 12.92% and a dividend yield of 0.7%.

Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 22,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,694,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.27% of Esquire Financial at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ESQ. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial during the first quarter valued at about $51,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 151.0% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 788 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial in the 1st quarter valued at about $106,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in shares of Esquire Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,000. 54.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Esquire Financial

In other news, Director Joseph Melohn sold 1,326 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $132,600.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 136,531 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,653,100. This represents a 0.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Selig Zises sold 17,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.71, for a total transaction of $1,695,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,001 shares in the company, valued at $2,094,009.71. The trade was a 44.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,326 shares of company stock valued at $3,403,470 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 18.00% of the company's stock.

Esquire Financial Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ ESQ traded down $1.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $95.16. The company had a trading volume of 21,677 shares, compared to its average volume of 90,748. The stock has a market cap of $812.62 million, a P/E ratio of 17.56 and a beta of 0.57. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.69 and a 1 year high of $106.11. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $97.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $87.62.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.38. The firm had revenue of ($24.94) million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.26 million. Esquire Financial had a return on equity of 18.87% and a net margin of 30.96%. Analysts predict that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a $0.175 dividend. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Esquire Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on ESQ. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $110.00 target price (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Esquire Financial in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Esquire Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $100.50.

Esquire Financial 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.