Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Esquire Financial in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Esquire Financial from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.00.

Esquire Financial Stock Down 4.9%

Shares of ESQ stock opened at $100.98 on Friday. Esquire Financial has a twelve month low of $68.90 and a twelve month high of $134.82. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $107.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $865.40 million, a P/E ratio of 17.17 and a beta of 0.46.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). Esquire Financial had a net margin of 30.90% and a return on equity of 18.72%. The business had revenue of $39.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.93 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Esquire Financial will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Comerica Bank grew its stake in Esquire Financial by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 4,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $315,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Esquire Financial by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 10,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $972,000 after buying an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Esquire Financial by 64.3% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Esquire Financial by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $803,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. 54.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Esquire Financial Company Profile

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc is a bank holding company whose principal subsidiary, Esquire Bank, specializes in residential mortgage lending and community banking services. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the company operates through multiple distribution channels, including retail branches, wholesale and correspondent lending divisions. Esquire Financial focuses on tailored home financing solutions while maintaining a community-oriented approach to banking.

In its mortgage lending business, Esquire Bank originates and services a range of home loan products, including government-insured mortgages (FHA, VA and USDA) as well as conventional conforming and jumbo loans.