Ampfield Management L.P. Acquires 29,869 Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ)

Ampfield Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) by 11.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 281,502 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 29,869 shares during the quarter. Esquire Financial comprises 25.0% of Ampfield Management L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Ampfield Management L.P. owned 3.34% of Esquire Financial worth $21,220,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESQ. Arcus Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Esquire Financial during the first quarter worth $314,000. Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Esquire Financial during the 1st quarter worth $380,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Esquire Financial by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 40,139 shares of the company's stock worth $3,026,000 after purchasing an additional 5,745 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in Esquire Financial during the 1st quarter worth $51,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Esquire Financial by 53.9% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,931 shares of the company's stock worth $372,000 after buying an additional 1,728 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.66% of the company's stock.

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 owned 104,644 shares in the company, valued at $8,738,820.44. This represents a 16.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Kevin C. Waterhouse sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 86,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,263,058.13. This represents a 3.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 18.00% of the company's stock.

Esquire Financial Stock Up 2.6%

ESQ stock traded up $2.48 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $98.10. The company had a trading volume of 90,070 shares, compared to its average volume of 65,272. The firm has a market cap of $829.93 million, a PE ratio of 18.54 and a beta of 0.52. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.49 and a 1-year high of $101.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $92.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.30.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $33.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $30.71 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.175 per share. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. Esquire Financial's payout ratio is 13.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Esquire Financial from $94.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th.

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.