ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) in a research report report published on Tuesday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

ESSA Bancorp Stock Up 0.2%

ESSA opened at $19.25 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market cap of $195.48 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.47. ESSA Bancorp has a twelve month low of $15.82 and a twelve month high of $22.22. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $18.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.65.

ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.03). ESSA Bancorp had a net margin of 14.83% and a return on equity of 7.27%. The company had revenue of $16.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.19 million.

ESSA Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. ESSA Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.71%.

Institutional Trading of ESSA Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 4,922 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $109,000. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP bought a new stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp in the first quarter valued at approximately $214,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in ESSA Bancorp by 44.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 12,118 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 3,731 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in ESSA Bancorp during the 1st quarter worth approximately $239,000. Institutional investors own 54.15% of the company’s stock.

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.