BNP Paribas Financial Markets Buys 3,795 Shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) by 156.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,228 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,795 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Esquire Financial were worth $406,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Esquire Financial by 79.8% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 36,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,351,000 after acquiring an additional 16,007 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Esquire Financial by 36.6% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 798 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Esquire Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $401,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Esquire Financial by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 202,847 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,655,000 after acquiring an additional 17,333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in Esquire Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $570,000. 54.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Esquire Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ESQ opened at $77.17 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $71.15 and its 200-day moving average is $60.60. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $44.45 and a 52 week high of $80.89. The firm has a market cap of $642.13 million, a P/E ratio of 15.53 and a beta of 0.74.

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Esquire Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.07%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rena Nigam bought 640 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $77.50 per share, for a total transaction of $49,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $144,692.50. The trade was a 52.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Selig Zises sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.77, for a total transaction of $614,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 62,601 shares in the company, valued at $4,805,878.77. The trade was a 11.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 18.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on ESQ. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of Esquire Financial in a report on Friday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Esquire Financial from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th.

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.