Short Interest in ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) Increases By 48.1%

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

ESSA Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of ESSA stock opened at $18.85 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $191.42 million, a PE ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.84. ESSA Bancorp has a 12 month low of $15.29 and a 12 month high of $22.22. 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 (NASDAQ:ESSA) last issued 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%.

ESSA Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. ESSA Bancorp’s payout ratio is 34.48%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. FJ Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in ESSA Bancorp by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC now owns 967,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,860,000 after buying an additional 25,176 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in ESSA Bancorp by 123.3% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 37,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $739,000 after buying an additional 20,930 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 104.1% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,733 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $580,000 after buying an additional 15,166 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position 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 buying an additional 8,895 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 51.8% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 22,539 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $433,000 after acquiring an additional 7,696 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.15% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on ESSA Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued a “hold” rating on the 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.