ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

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

ESSA Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of ESSA Bancorp stock opened at $17.22 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $20.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.81. The firm has a market cap of $174.87 million, a P/E ratio of 9.90 and a beta of 0.32. ESSA Bancorp has a 12 month low of $15.29 and a 12 month high of $22.22.

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

ESSA Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. ESSA Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.48%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESSA Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESSA. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in ESSA Bancorp by 184.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 13,723 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 8,895 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 126.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,567 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 8,136 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 115,996 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,229,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in ESSA Bancorp by 2.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 186,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,577,000 after acquiring an additional 4,431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in ESSA Bancorp by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 26,107 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $509,000 after acquiring an additional 3,568 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.15% of the company’s stock.

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.