First Manhattan CO. LLC. Has $5.92 Million Stake in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ)

First Manhattan CO. LLC. reduced its holdings in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 74,476 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,074 shares during the period. First Manhattan CO. LLC. owned 0.90% of Esquire Financial worth $5,921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Esquire Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,407,000. Ampfield Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Ampfield Management L.P. now owns 251,633 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,005,000 after buying an additional 24,773 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 16.8% in 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 last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Esquire Financial by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 387,730 shares of the company's stock worth $30,825,000 after buying an additional 21,266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Esquire Financial by 161.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 23,500 shares of the company's stock worth $1,532,000 after acquiring an additional 14,521 shares in the last quarter. 54.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Esquire Financial Price Performance

Shares of ESQ opened at $89.68 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $756.18 million, a PE ratio of 17.38 and a beta of 0.51. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $44.55 and a fifty-two week high of $90.91. The company's 50-day moving average is $77.93 and its 200-day moving average is $78.33.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.03. Esquire Financial had a return on equity of 19.93% and a net margin of 31.58%. The firm had revenue of $33.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $30.71 million. Analysts predict that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Esquire Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.175 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. Esquire Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.23%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kevin C. Waterhouse sold 3,000 shares of the business's 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 86,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,263,058.13. The trade was a 3.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ari P. Kornhaber sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.51, for a total transaction of $1,670,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 104,644 shares in the company, valued at $8,738,820.44. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 43,000 shares of company stock worth $3,473,610. 18.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESQ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James lowered shares of Esquire Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Esquire Financial from $85.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Esquire Financial from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

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.

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