ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC (ESQ)
Financials · Regional Banking · NASDAQ
A specialized financial institution providing banking services to the legal and litigation industry alongside payment processing solutions.
What ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC does
Esquire Financial Holdings is a bank holding company that provides financial services to small businesses, legal professionals, and individual consumers. The company specializes in serving the legal and litigation market, offering lending and deposit products tailored to law firms and litigation-related businesses, while also maintaining a payment processing business segment.
Themes: legal services banking, payment processing, commercial lending, litigation finance support
Fundamentals
- Price$115.31 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$996M as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return+18.4% 2025-08-21 close $97.41 → 2026-08-21 close $115.31
- P/E30.56 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+36.7% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+17.8% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity0.00 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)+58.5% as of 2026-08-24
- Beta0.41 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-07-23 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +1.1%; at least 4 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How ESQ compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiotop 25% 525 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit margintop 25% 538 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating margintop 10% 534 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitytop 25% 575 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- indicated dividend yieldbottom 25% 453 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 431 covered Financials peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Financials companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Covered by reported results. In FY2025, ESQ's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 12%, free-cash-flow payout 10%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout12% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout10% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC looks technically
ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC (ESQ) is trading 4.8% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 524 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 31, with sellers in control. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 36, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 6 trading days ago (its momentum flipped negative). It made a new 20-day low about 2 trading days ago.
Trend
7
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 4.8% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +4.8% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $121.69 | $121.69 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $110.06 | $110.06 |
| Swing structure | its recent peaks and dips disagree — one of them is rising while the other is not, so there is no clean up or down pattern in the swings | mixed — one of the two is not confirming |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 8 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 8 sessions |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 524 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 524 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 31, with sellers in control | 31.0 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 36, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 36.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the bottom of its 14-day range ($112.42 to $134.65) — its "stochastic" reading is 13 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 13.0 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 6 trading days ago (its momentum flipped negative) | 6 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $134.81 | $134.81 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 14.5% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -14.5% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 25.2% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +25.2% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 14.5% below its highest point of the past year | 14.5% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 2 trading days ago | 2 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 9 trading days ago | 9 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $134.81 (set on 2026-01-13) | $134.81 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($92.91 to $132.92), and it has given back roughly a third of its rise from last year’s low — 44% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $106.91 to $108.19. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 44.0% |
| From the all-time high | it is 14.5% below its all-time high | -14.5% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 1.1% below a resistance level at $116.56 — a price it turned at twice since 2026-04-09, most recently on 2026-07-10. Since 2024-08-21 it has 14 such levels below the current price and 4 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | +1.1% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $10.83 (set on 2020-05-14) | $10.83 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 964.7% above its all-time low | +964.7% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are unusually wide versus its own recent history (wider than about 99% of the past ~6 months) | 99th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $4.07 between its high and its low — about 3.5% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $4.07 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $114.93 and $138.94 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $114.93 – $126.93 – $138.94 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 3.5% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 3.5% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 1.3 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (4.8% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 1.3 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.69× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | not available for this company yet | n/a |
Candlestick patterns
1
| Since a bullish engulfing | 8 sessions ago it opened below the previous session's close and finished above that session's open — a "bullish engulfing" pair, where one up day more than undid the down day before it | 8 sessions ago |
|---|
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 1.1% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | +1.1% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 2.2% above the previous close 51 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 106.2 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | +2.2% |
| Gap filled | a 2.6% gap down opened on 2026-07-23 has been "filled" 20 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 1 session to close | 20 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 8.5 percentage points (the stock lost 6.1% while the market gained 2.3%) | -8.5% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 0.8 percentage points (the stock gained 3.9% while the market gained 3.1%) | +0.8% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 3.8 percentage points (the stock gained 7.2% while the market gained 11.1%) | -3.8% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 2.1 percentage points (the stock gained 18.4% while the market gained 20.5%) | -2.1% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, near the bottom of its 14-day range (oversold) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 4 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: a strong downtrend, with sellers in control, a fresh 20-day low, MACD momentum is negative, lagging the market over 6 months — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 4 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading inside the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the zone traders read as unresolved — neither side has established a trend, and the band is where that gets settled. The band itself is moderate, spanning 3.6% of the share price. | 0.0% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 1% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $113.95 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 157 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +1.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 8% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-23 (its 8-K), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $125.32 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 22 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -8.0% |
Price levels it has turned at before
ESQ last closed at $115.31 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 14 prices below its last close and 4 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $116.56 | Resistance | 1.1% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-04-09 to 2026-07-10 |
| $113.71 | Support | 1.4% below the last close | turned there four times · 2026-01-23 to 2026-07-23 |
| $119.00 | Resistance | 3.2% above the last close | turned there three times · 2026-02-04 to 2026-06-15 |
| $110.79 | Support | 3.9% below the last close | turned there three times · 2025-12-22 to 2026-05-06 |
| $106.52 | Support | 7.6% below the last close | turned there three times · 2025-07-25 to 2026-06-03 |
| $125.40 | Resistance | 8.8% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-07-02 to 2026-07-16 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
No Elliott-wave labelling currently fits its swings: the recent highs and lows do not satisfy the three rules a five-wave count has to obey, so there is no count to show rather than a count we are unsure about.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · Broke down to a new 20-day low · At the bottom of its 14-day range (stochastic below 20) · Trading at this year’s average price paid (anchored VWAP) · Under water since its last earnings report (below the anchored VWAP) · Trading inside the Ichimoku cloud | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Mean price target$130.00 range $125.00 – $140.00; median $125.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-19. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for ESQ
- Consensus EPS estimate$1.81 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-19
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["High concentration of loans and deposits dependent upon the legal and litigation market","Risks associated with the payment processing business, including relationships with merchants and ISOs","Interest rate fluctuations affecting net interest margin and profitability"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of ESQ's 10-Q filed 2026-05-11 against the prior one filed 2025-11-07.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Added bullet point: 'our ability to successfully complete our merger with Signature Bancorporation, Inc. ("Signature") by receiving shareholder and regulatory approvals and integrate into our operations Signature's assets, liabilities or systems we acquired, as well as new management personnel or customers, and our ability to realize related revenue synergies and cost savings within expected time frames and any goodwill charges related thereto;' (filed 2026-05-11)
- Added phrase 'and local' before 'real estate markets' in risk factor (filed 2026-05-11)
- Removed:
- Removed bullet point: 'the ability of key third-party service providers to perform their obligations to us; and' placement before final 'other economic' bullet (filed 2025-11-07)
- Removed word 'legislative' from final risk factor bullet in older version (filed 2025-11-07)
- Reworded:
- Changed 'at September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024 and results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024' to 'at March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025 and results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025' (filed 2026-05-11)
- Changed 'Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024' to 'Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025' (filed 2026-05-11)
- Changed 'the imposition of tariffs or other domestic or international governmental policies impacting the value of the products of our customers' to 'the imposition of tariffs or other domestic or international governmental policies impacting the value of the products of our borrowers' (filed 2026-05-11)
- Changed 'the impact of the current federal government shutdown' to 'the impact of a potential federal government shutdown' (filed 2026-05-11)
- Changed 'national local real estate markets' to 'national and local real estate markets' (grammar correction, filed 2026-05-11)
- Notes:
- Both texts appear truncated at the end; comparison limited to available content
- The older filing references Form 10-K for year ended December 31, 2024, while newer filing references December 31, 2025, reflecting different reporting periods
Risk Factors
- Added:
- New risk factor: 'The Company is expected to incur substantial costs related to the merger and integration' describing non-recurring costs associated with merger of Company and Signature (filed 2026-05-11)
- New risk factor: 'Combining the Company and Signature may be more difficult, costly or time-consuming than expected' describing integration challenges and potential failure to realize merger benefits (filed 2026-05-11)
- New risk factor: 'The combined company may be unable to retain the Company and/or Signature personnel successfully after the merger is completed' addressing employee retention risks (filed 2026-05-11)
- New risk factor: 'Regulatory approvals may not be received, may take longer than expected, or may impose conditions that are not presently anticipated' describing regulatory approval risks for merger completion (filed 2026-05-11)
- New risk factor: 'The merger agreement may be terminated in accordance with its terms and the merger may not be completed' addressing conditions and termination risks (filed 2026-05-11)
- Removed:
- Statement 'There have been no material changes to our risk factors as disclosed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024' (filed 2025-11-07)
- Reworded:
- Opening language changed from 'There have been no material changes to our risk factors' to 'The risk factors that were previously disclosed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, have been supplemented by the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2026' (filed 2026-05-11)
- Notes:
- The older filing (2025-11-07) was for quarter ended September 30, 2025; newer filing (2026-05-11) is for quarter ended March 31, 2026, representing different reporting periods
- The older 10-K reference year in the newer filing (December 31, 2025) differs from the older filing's reference (December 31, 2024), indicating a full year has passed between filings
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
0 open-market purchases and 1 open-market sale by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 30 days0 buys · 1 sell ($388792) — 1 selling insider
- Last 90 days0 buys · 1 sell ($388792) — 1 selling insider
- Last 180 days0 buys · 14 sells ($4M) — 3 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-07-30. As of 2026-08-24.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about ESQ's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
4 institutional 13F filers reported holding ESQ as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 4
- Reported shares held 875,934
- Reported value $94,162,904
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 0 new, 2 increased, 2 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
ESQ had 808,560 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
ESQ had 9.36% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 4.66 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 808,560
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 9.36%
- Prior settlement (shares) 777,813
- Reported change 3.95%
- Days to cover (reported) 4.66
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- New York Community Bancorp (NYCB)
- Valley National Bancorp (VLY)
- Signature Bank (historical)
- ConnectOne Bancorp (CNOB)
- Cross River Bank
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC (ESQ) do?
Esquire Financial Holdings is a bank holding company that provides financial services to small businesses, legal professionals, and individual consumers. The company specializes in serving the legal and litigation market, offering lending and deposit products tailored to law firms and litigation-related businesses, while also maintaining a payment processing business segment.
What sector is ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC (ESQ) in?
ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC (ESQ) is classified in the Financials sector. Its industry is Regional Banking. It trades on NASDAQ.
Does ESQ pay a dividend?
Yes — ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC (ESQ) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 1.10% and at least 4 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-08-24). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC's (ESQ) competitors?
Notable peers of ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC (ESQ) include New York Community Bancorp, Valley National Bancorp, Signature Bank (historical), ConnectOne Bancorp and Cross River Bank. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC (ESQ) overbought or oversold right now?
ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC (ESQ) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 36, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on ESQ come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.