ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average of $17.60

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $17.60 and traded as high as $19.68. ESSA Bancorp shares last traded at $19.68, with a volume of 7,921 shares traded.

ESSA Bancorp Stock Up 3.8 %

The company has a market capitalization of $199.40 million, a PE ratio of 10.64 and a beta of 0.36. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $16.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.29 million. ESSA Bancorp had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 7.84%.

ESSA Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.05%. ESSA Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.43%.

Institutional Trading of ESSA Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in ESSA Bancorp by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 41,956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $765,000 after buying an additional 3,150 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 22,001 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $440,000 after buying an additional 578 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in ESSA Bancorp by 0.5% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 441,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,044,000 after buying an additional 2,056 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 27.1% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,502 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 961 shares during the period. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ESSA Bancorp in the second quarter valued at $300,000. 54.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ESSA Bancorp Company Profile

ESSA Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for ESSA Bank & Trust that provides a range of financial services to individuals, families, and businesses in Pennsylvania. The company accepts savings accounts, interest bearing demand accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, club accounts, certificates of deposit and IRAs, and other qualified plan accounts, as well as commercial checking accounts.