Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) by 15.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,107 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,568 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned 0.26% of ESSA Bancorp worth $509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its position in ESSA Bancorp by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 115,996 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,229,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in ESSA Bancorp by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,508 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $946,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in ESSA Bancorp by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 186,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,577,000 after purchasing an additional 4,431 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in ESSA Bancorp by 126.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,567 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 8,136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in ESSA Bancorp by 184.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 13,723 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 8,895 shares in the last quarter. 54.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESSA Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ESSA opened at $18.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. ESSA Bancorp, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $15.29 and a fifty-two week high of $22.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $191.73 million, a PE ratio of 10.85 and a beta of 0.40. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.79.

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

ESSA Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. ESSA Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on ESSA Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. 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.