Informed Momentum Co LLC Sells 3,686 Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ)

Key Points

• Informed Momentum Co LLC reduced its holdings in Esquire Financial by 24.9% in the first quarter, totaling approximately $836,000 worth of stock.
• Several hedge funds have also adjusted their positions in Esquire Financial; for instance, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings by 85.6%, now owning over 779,000 shares valued at approximately $58.8 million.
• Esquire Financial recently declared a $0.175 per share quarterly dividend, with a dividend yield of 0.7%, to be paid on September 2nd.

Informed Momentum Co LLC cut its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) by 24.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,090 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,686 shares during the quarter. Informed Momentum Co LLC owned 0.13% of Esquire Financial worth $836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ESQ. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Esquire Financial by 5.8% in the fourth 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 last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,340 shares of the company's stock worth $2,174,000 after buying an additional 3,840 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 185,901 shares of the company's stock worth $14,783,000 after buying an additional 3,642 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 15,275 shares of the company's stock worth $1,214,000 after buying an additional 1,095 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Esquire Financial by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 55,676 shares of the company's stock worth $4,426,000 after purchasing an additional 1,014 shares in the last quarter. 54.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Esquire Financial Price Performance

Shares of ESQ stock traded down $1.94 on Friday, hitting $95.55. 107,662 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 94,142. The company has a market capitalization of $816.00 million, a PE ratio of 17.63 and a beta of 0.57. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $56.50 and a 1-year high of $106.11. The company's fifty day moving average is $95.80 and its 200 day moving average is $86.61.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38. Esquire Financial had a return on equity of 18.87% and a net margin of 30.96%. The firm had revenue of ($24.94) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.26 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Esquire Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and set a $110.00 target price (up from $102.00) on shares of Esquire Financial in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Esquire Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday.

Insider Transactions at Esquire Financial

In other Esquire Financial news, Director Selig Zises sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.38, for a total value of $476,900.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 29,501 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,813,805.38. This represents a 14.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 18.00% of the company's stock.

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.