ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) Shares Bought by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESSA) by 5.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,608 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,412 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned approximately 0.47% of ESSA Bancorp worth $915,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in ESSA Bancorp by 0.5% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 441,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,044,000 after buying an additional 2,056 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of ESSA Bancorp by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 30,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $530,000 after acquiring an additional 977 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in ESSA Bancorp by 4.8% during 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 during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in ESSA Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $300,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in ESSA Bancorp by 27.1% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,502 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 961 shares during the last quarter. 54.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESSA Bancorp Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ESSA opened at $20.30 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.24. ESSA Bancorp, Inc. has a twelve month low of $15.29 and a twelve month high of $21.50. 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 capitalization of $205.64 million, a PE ratio of 11.43 and a beta of 0.37.

ESSA Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. ESSA Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.71%.

About ESSA Bancorp

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.