GW&K Investment Management LLC Purchases 4,545 Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ)

GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 224,941 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,545 shares during the quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned 2.67% of Esquire Financial worth $16,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Arcus Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Esquire Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $314,000. Horizon Investment Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 16.5% in the first quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 38,911 shares of the company's stock worth $2,933,000 after buying an additional 5,522 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Esquire Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $545,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Esquire Financial by 16.8% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 166,915 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,270,000 after buying an additional 23,998 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Esquire Financial by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 387,730 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,825,000 after buying an additional 21,266 shares during the period. 54.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Esquire Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Esquire Financial stock traded down $6.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $98.65. 169,451 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 162,919. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $94.07 and a 200-day moving average of $85.41. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.49 and a 12 month high of $106.11. The company has a market cap of $834.58 million, a PE ratio of 18.20 and a beta of 0.52.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.38. Esquire Financial had a net margin of 30.96% and a return on equity of 19.33%. The business had revenue of ($24.94) million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.26 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.175 dividend. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Esquire Financial's payout ratio is currently 12.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESQ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $110.00 price objective (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Esquire Financial in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised Esquire Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kevin C. Waterhouse sold 3,000 shares of Esquire Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.87, for a total transaction of $251,610.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 86,599 shares in the company, valued at $7,263,058.13. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ari P. Kornhaber sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 104,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,738,820.44. The trade was a 16.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company 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.