Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $76.91 and last traded at $75.66, with a volume of 43339 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $75.40.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ESQ. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 target price (up previously from $72.00) on shares of Esquire Financial in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Esquire Financial from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Esquire Financial Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $65.03 and a 200 day moving average of $56.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $604.10 million, a P/E ratio of 14.62 and a beta of 0.70.

Esquire Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. Esquire Financial’s payout ratio is 12.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esquire Financial

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC boosted its position in Esquire Financial by 50.0% during the first quarter. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC now owns 85,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,068,000 after purchasing an additional 28,569 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 21.7% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 122,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,818,000 after acquiring an additional 21,833 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Esquire Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $954,000. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in Esquire Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $926,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Esquire Financial by 9.3% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 202,847 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,655,000 after purchasing an additional 17,333 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 54.66% of the company’s stock.

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.