Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) Shares Purchased by GW&K Investment Management LLC

GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 224,941 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,545 shares during the quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned 2.67% of Esquire Financial worth $16,956,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ESQ. Horizon Investment Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 16.5% during the first quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 38,911 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,933,000 after buying an additional 5,522 shares during the period. Ampfield Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 11.9% during the first quarter. Ampfield Management L.P. now owns 281,502 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,220,000 after buying an additional 29,869 shares during the period. Arcus Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the first quarter valued at $314,000. Alps Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the first quarter valued at $380,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 16.7% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 40,139 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,026,000 after buying an additional 5,745 shares during the period. 54.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Esquire Financial

In other Esquire Financial 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 approximately $8,738,820.44. This represents a 16.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Kevin C. Waterhouse sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.87, for a total value of $251,610.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 86,599 shares in the company, valued at $7,263,058.13. This trade 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on ESQ shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Esquire Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Esquire Financial from $94.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th.

Esquire Financial Trading Up 1.0%

Esquire Financial stock traded up $1.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $104.78. The company had a trading volume of 137,258 shares, compared to its average volume of 94,012. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.49 and a 12-month high of $105.10. The company's fifty day moving average is $93.64 and its 200-day moving average is $85.07. The company has a market capitalization of $886.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.81 and a beta of 0.52.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 19.20% and a net margin of 31.37%. The business had revenue of ($24.94) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.26 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.175 dividend. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.67%. Esquire Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.23%.

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.