Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) Shares Sold by Basswood Capital Management L.L.C.

Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. lessened its stake in Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) by 24.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 268,727 shares of the company’s stock after selling 84,798 shares during the quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Esquire Financial were worth $17,524,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its holdings in Esquire Financial by 0.8% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 566,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,909,000 after buying an additional 4,426 shares during the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P acquired a new position in shares of Esquire Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $215,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 156.0% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $406,000 after acquiring an additional 3,795 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Esquire Financial during the third quarter worth $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.66% of the company’s stock.

Esquire Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ:ESQ opened at $77.69 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $646.38 million, a P/E ratio of 15.63 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.46. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $44.45 and a 12-month high of $80.00.

Esquire Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Esquire Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.07%.

Insider Transactions at Esquire Financial

In other news, Director Selig Zises sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.77, for a total transaction of $614,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 62,601 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,805,878.77. The trade was a 11.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 18.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.