GW&K Investment Management LLC Sells 34,874 Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. $ESQ

GW&K Investment Management LLC lessened its position in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 187,667 shares of the company’s stock after selling 34,874 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Esquire Financial were worth $19,152,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in shares of Esquire Financial in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Esquire Financial by 352.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in Esquire Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $190,000. Arizona State Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $217,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the second quarter worth approximately $207,000. 54.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Esquire Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Esquire Financial stock opened at $101.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $871.14 million, a P/E ratio of 17.29 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.99. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $68.90 and a twelve month high of $134.82.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $39.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.93 million. Esquire Financial had a return on equity of 18.72% and a net margin of 30.90%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Esquire Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is a boost from Esquire Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Esquire Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 13.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on ESQ shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Esquire Financial from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Esquire Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Esquire Financial from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Esquire Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.00.

Esquire Financial Company Profile

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc is a bank holding company whose principal subsidiary, Esquire Bank, specializes in residential mortgage lending and community banking services. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the company operates through multiple distribution channels, including retail branches, wholesale and correspondent lending divisions. Esquire Financial focuses on tailored home financing solutions while maintaining a community-oriented approach to banking.

In its mortgage lending business, Esquire Bank originates and services a range of home loan products, including government-insured mortgages (FHA, VA and USDA) as well as conventional conforming and jumbo loans.