Bosun Asset Management LLC Acquires 3,232 Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. $ESQ

Key Points

• Bosun Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. by 52.7%, owning 9,364 shares valued at approximately $706,000 after acquiring an additional 3,232 shares during the 1st quarter.
• The firm announced a quarterly dividend of $0.175 per share, representing a yield of 0.7% and a payout ratio of 12.92%.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings on Esquire Financial, with an average price target of $100.50, and one analyst rating the stock as a Buy.

Bosun Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) by 52.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,364 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,232 shares during the quarter. Bosun Asset Management LLC owned 0.11% of Esquire Financial worth $706,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arcus Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Esquire Financial in the 1st quarter valued at about $314,000. Horizon Investment Services LLC grew its position in Esquire Financial by 16.5% in the 1st quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 38,911 shares of the company's stock worth $2,933,000 after purchasing an additional 5,522 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC grew its position in Esquire Financial by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 224,941 shares of the company's stock worth $16,956,000 after purchasing an additional 4,545 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Esquire Financial in the 1st quarter worth about $623,000. Finally, Swiss National Bank bought a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,033,000. Institutional investors own 54.66% of the company's stock.

Esquire Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ:ESQ traded up $1.14 on Monday, reaching $98.15. 38,605 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 90,025. The firm has a market cap of $838.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.11 and a beta of 0.57. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $59.00 and a 52 week high of $106.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.90.

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

Esquire Financial Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Esquire Financial

In other news, Director Selig Zises sold 17,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.71, for a total value of $1,695,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,094,009.71. This represents a 44.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Joseph Melohn sold 11,000 shares of Esquire Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.90, for a total value of $1,098,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 137,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,771,914.30. This represents a 7.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,326 shares of company stock valued at $3,403,470 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 18.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on ESQ shares. 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 cut shares of Esquire Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $100.50.

Esquire Financial Company 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.