Bank of New York Mellon Corp Sells 1,345 Shares of ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp lessened its holdings in shares of ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) by 5.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,379 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,345 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 0.22% of ESSA Bancorp worth $436,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 184.2% during 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in ESSA Bancorp by 126.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,567 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $280,000 after buying an additional 8,136 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in ESSA Bancorp by 51.8% during 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 buying an additional 7,696 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,508 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $946,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted 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. 54.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESSA Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ ESSA opened at $18.93 on Friday. ESSA Bancorp, Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.29 and a 1 year high of $22.22. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.82. 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 company has a market cap of $192.23 million, a P/E ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 0.40.

ESSA Bancorp (NASDAQ:ESSA) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. ESSA Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on ESSA Bancorp in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

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.