ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA – Get Rating) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday. The brokerage set a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Separately, Zacks Investment Research upgraded ESSA Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 12th.

Shares of ESSA Bancorp stock opened at $17.02 on Tuesday. ESSA Bancorp has a one year low of $14.79 and a one year high of $18.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $178.52 million, a P/E ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 0.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $17.87.

ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.02. ESSA Bancorp had a return on equity of 8.37% and a net margin of 24.54%. The firm had revenue of $15.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 million. Research analysts forecast that ESSA Bancorp will post 1.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESSA. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in ESSA Bancorp by 18.2% in the second quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 9,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,479 shares during the period. Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC raised its position in ESSA Bancorp by 26.1% in the second quarter. Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC now owns 13,083 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 2,711 shares during the period. BHZ Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp in the third quarter valued at $224,000. IAM Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp in the first quarter valued at $236,000. Finally, Susquehanna International Group LLP grew its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 75.6% in the fourth quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 17,906 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 7,708 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.31% of the company’s stock.

ESSA Bancorp Company Profile (Get Rating)

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.

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