ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) Coverage Initiated at StockNews.com

Investment analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) in a research note issued to investors on Sunday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

ESSA Bancorp Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ESSA opened at $20.89 on Friday. ESSA Bancorp has a 1 year low of $15.29 and a 1 year high of $22.22. The company has a market capitalization of $212.14 million, a PE ratio of 12.01 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $20.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. ESSA Bancorp had a net margin of 14.83% and a return on equity of 7.27%.

Institutional Trading of ESSA Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 27.8% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 4,922 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 1,072 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in ESSA Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth about $109,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in ESSA Bancorp by 44.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 12,118 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 3,731 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 12,672 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $247,000 after purchasing an additional 1,107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 184.2% in the third 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 during the period. 54.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.