ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA)’s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $17.72 and traded as high as $19.40. ESSA Bancorp shares last traded at $19.24, with a volume of 20,700 shares changing hands.

ESSA Bancorp Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $18.31 and a 200 day moving average of $17.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $194.94 million, a P/E ratio of 10.40 and a beta of 0.36.

ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.04). ESSA Bancorp had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 7.84%. The firm had revenue of $16.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.29 million.

ESSA Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. ESSA Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.43%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESSA Bancorp

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in ESSA Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $300,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in ESSA Bancorp by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 41,956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $765,000 after acquiring an additional 3,150 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in ESSA Bancorp by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 441,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,044,000 after acquiring an additional 2,056 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 4.8% in the second quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,444 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 1,343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 3.4% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 30,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $530,000 after purchasing an additional 977 shares during the period. 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.