ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) Short Interest Update

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 39,100 shares, an increase of 48.1% from the February 28th total of 26,400 shares. Approximately 0.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 26,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days.

ESSA Bancorp Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of ESSA traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $18.93. 9,970 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,330. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $20.51 and its 200-day moving average is $19.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. ESSA Bancorp has a 1 year low of $15.29 and a 1 year high of $22.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $192.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 0.40.

ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. ESSA Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on ESSA Bancorp in a report on Wednesday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock.

Institutional Trading of ESSA Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESSA. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 12,672 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 1,107 shares in the last quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC now owns 967,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,860,000 after acquiring an additional 25,176 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in shares of ESSA Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $109,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 44.5% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 69,810 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,361,000 after purchasing an additional 2,289 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.