ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) Short Interest Up 25.7% in February

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 26,400 shares, a growth of 25.7% from the February 13th total of 21,000 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 25,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days.

ESSA Bancorp Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of ESSA Bancorp stock traded down $0.20 on Monday, hitting $18.95. 3,223 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 28,614. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. ESSA Bancorp has a 12-month low of $15.29 and a 12-month high of $22.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $20.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.77. The company has a market cap of $192.44 million, a PE ratio of 10.89 and a beta of 0.40.

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

ESSA Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. ESSA Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of ESSA Bancorp in a report on Monday, March 10th. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ESSA Bancorp

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted 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 in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in ESSA Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $109,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings 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 valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 3,731 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its position 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 valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 1,107 shares during the period. 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 institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESSA Bancorp Company Profile

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.