Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) Holdings Cut by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ - Free Report) by 40.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 33,400 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,400 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 0.40% of Esquire Financial worth $2,655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Esquire Financial by 322.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,308 shares of the company's stock valued at $672,000 after acquiring an additional 7,869 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Esquire Financial by 3.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 182,259 shares of the company's stock worth $11,887,000 after buying an additional 6,025 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Esquire Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $534,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $252,000. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 144,344 shares of the company's stock worth $9,413,000 after acquiring an additional 11,345 shares during the period. 54.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Esquire Financial Stock Performance

Esquire Financial stock traded down $1.45 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $82.92. 68,046 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 47,120. The company's 50-day moving average is $76.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.28. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $44.55 and a 52-week high of $90.18. The firm has a market cap of $699.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.07 and a beta of 0.52.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $33.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.71 million. Analysts anticipate that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The company 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 of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Esquire Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.23%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Richard T. Powers sold 1,427 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.99, for a total value of $124,134.73. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 58,997 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,132,149.03. This represents a 2.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Kevin C. Waterhouse sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.87, for a total transaction of $251,610.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 86,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,263,058.13. This trade represents a 3.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 44,427 shares of company stock worth $3,597,745 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 18.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ESQ shares. Raymond James downgraded 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 lifted their target price on Esquire Financial from $85.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on Esquire Financial from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th.

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.