Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) EVP Ari Kornhaber Sells 20,000 Shares of Stock

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) EVP Ari Kornhaber sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.15, for a total transaction of $2,563,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 99,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,788,344.80. This represents a 16.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Esquire Financial Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:ESQ opened at $124.96 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $119.34 and a 200-day moving average of $114.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a PE ratio of 20.79 and a beta of 0.40. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $92.10 and a 12 month high of $134.82.

Esquire Financial (NASDAQ:ESQ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $61.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.93 million. Esquire Financial had a net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 21.49%. On average, research analysts predict that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Esquire Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Esquire Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Esquire Financial in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Esquire Financial from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Esquire Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Esquire Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Strong Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.50.

Key Esquire Financial News

Here are the key news stories impacting Esquire Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded ESQ from “hold” to “strong-buy,” signaling improved confidence in the company’s near-term outlook and potentially attracting additional investor interest. Zacks upgrade report
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings exceeded expectations: Esquire Financial reported adjusted EPS of $2.12, above the $1.89 consensus estimate, while revenue of $61.39 million also topped the $59.93 million forecast. The earnings beat and rising earnings estimates could support the stock’s recent strength. Third-quarter earnings report Rising earnings estimates analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Esquire Financial declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, payable December 1 to shareholders of record November 13. The $0.80 annualized payout provides a modest 0.6% yield and reinforces shareholder returns. Quarterly dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Ari Kornhaber sold 20,000 shares for approximately $2.56 million at an average price of $128.15, reducing his ownership by 16.7%. While insider sales can be made for personal or diversification reasons, the transaction may create a modest negative sentiment signal, particularly near the stock’s recent highs. SEC insider transaction filing

Institutional Trading of Esquire Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Compass Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Esquire Financial in the third quarter valued at $544,000. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Esquire Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Landaas & Co. WI ADV acquired a new stake in Esquire Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $435,000. Vise Technologies Inc. grew its holdings in Esquire Financial by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 6,120 shares of the company’s stock worth $712,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the period. Finally, VestGen Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Esquire Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $223,000. 54.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Esquire Financial

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc is the bank holding company for Esquire Bank, a federally chartered community bank headquartered in Jericho, New York. Esquire Bank primarily serves law firms, attorneys, and other professional-service businesses, as well as small and middle-market companies, entrepreneurs, and individuals.

The bank provides commercial banking products and services that include business checking and savings accounts, commercial loans, lines of credit, commercial real estate financing, construction lending, and small business lending.