Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its position in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) by 52.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,944 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,284 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Esquire Financial were worth $234,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Esquire Financial by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 22,838 shares of the company's stock worth $1,816,000 after purchasing an additional 696 shares during the period. PDT Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Esquire Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $269,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Esquire Financial by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 61,348 shares of the company's stock worth $4,877,000 after acquiring an additional 1,408 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in Esquire Financial in the fourth quarter worth $213,000. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in Esquire Financial by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 23,688 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,883,000 after acquiring an additional 3,071 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Esquire Financial Price Performance

Shares of ESQ stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $90.72. 303,589 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 51,344. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $83.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.58. The firm has a market cap of $767.67 million, a PE ratio of 17.58 and a beta of 0.51. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $44.55 and a 1-year high of $92.50.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $33.76 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.71 million. Esquire Financial had a return on equity of 19.93% and a net margin of 31.58%. As a group, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.175 per share. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Esquire Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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