ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $18.73 and traded as high as $19.43. ESSA Bancorp shares last traded at $19.43, with a volume of 7,676 shares.

ESSA Bancorp Stock Up 0.9 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market cap of $197.31 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.92 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $19.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.73.

ESSA Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. ESSA Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 33.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESSA Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESSA. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 184.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 13,723 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 8,895 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in ESSA Bancorp by 126.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,567 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 8,136 shares in the last quarter. Northeast Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in ESSA Bancorp by 4.5% during the third quarter. Northeast Financial Group Inc. now owns 16,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in ESSA Bancorp by 51.8% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 22,539 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $433,000 after buying an additional 7,696 shares during the period. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 4.8% in the second quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,444 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 1,343 shares in the last quarter. 54.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About ESSA Bancorp

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.