ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS NAMED TO PIPER SANDLER 2025 BANK & THRIFT SM-ALL STARS

Rhea-AI Summary

Esquire Financial Holdings (NASDAQ: ESQ) was named to the Piper Sandler 2025 Bank & Thrift Sm-All Stars on December 10, 2025. Esquire was one of 24 institutions out of 316 publicly traded banks and thrifts selected for industry-leading growth, profitability, credit quality, and balance sheet strength.

This marks Esquire's third appearance on the Sm-All Stars list; the 2025 class represents the top 10% of public institutions with market caps between $50 million and $2.5 billion. The recognition underscores the company's stated disciplined growth strategy and risk management focus.

Key Figures

Institutions selected 24 institutions Banks and thrifts named to 2025 Piper Sandler Sm-All Stars

Institutions screened 316 banks and thrifts Publicly traded banks and thrifts evaluated by Piper Sandler

Recognition frequency Third appearance Number of times Esquire has appeared on Sm-All Stars list

Peer group top tier Top 10% Ranking of 2025 Sm-All Stars class among eligible institutions

Min market cap $50 million Lower bound of eligible small-cap bank market capitalizations

Max market cap $2.5 billion Upper bound of eligible small-cap bank market capitalizations

Market Reality Check

$106.23 Last Close

Volume Volume 50,918 is below 20-day average of 71,725 (relative volume 0.71). normal

Technical Trading above 200-day MA with price at 104.04 versus MA(200) at 92.09, and within 3% of the 52-week high 107.25.

Peers on Argus

Peers show mixed, low-magnitude moves: EQBK +0.11%, CCNE +0.41%, HBT +0.53%, MBWM 0.00%, MCB -0.37%, suggesting this recognition is stock-specific rather than a sector-wide driver.

Historical Context

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Oct 30	Dividend declaration	Positive	+1.0%	Announced regular quarterly dividend of $0.175 per share for common stockholders.
Oct 23	Earnings results	Positive	+0.9%	Reported record Q3 2025 net income and industry-leading returns and margins.
Sep 16	Franchise ranking	Positive	+1.6%	Named a top deposit franchise in S&P Global community bank rankings.
Aug 12	Branch expansion	Positive	+4.4%	Announced first full-service Los Angeles location to expand national footprint.

Pattern Detected

Recent positive corporate and recognition news has consistently coincided with modestly positive next-day price reactions.

Recent Company History

Over the past few months, Esquire reported strong fundamentals, including record Q3 2025 net income of $14.1 million and diluted EPS of $1.62, alongside industry-leading ROA and ROE. The company expanded its footprint with a new Los Angeles branch and a 50,000 square-foot headquarters lease in Jericho, NY. It also maintained a regular quarterly dividend of $0.175 per share and earned prior franchise recognition from S&P Global. Today’s Piper Sandler Sm-All Stars honor extends this pattern of performance-based accolades.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement highlights Esquire’s selection as one of just 24 banks and thrifts out of 316 for Piper Sandler’s 2025 Sm-All Stars, reflecting metrics such as growth, profitability, credit quality, and capital strength. It marks the company’s third inclusion and places it within the top 10% of eligible small-cap institutions. In context with recent record earnings, strong capital ratios, and prior deposit franchise recognition, this reinforces a narrative of consistent operational outperformance and disciplined balance sheet management.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

JERICHO, N.Y., Dec. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESQ), the holding company for Esquire Bank, National Association (collectively "Esquire"), today announced that Esquire was named to the Piper Sandler 2025 Bank & Thrift Sm-All Stars. Piper Sandler's objective of the Sm-All Stars is to identify the top performing small-cap banks and thrifts in the country.

Esquire was identified as one of just 24 institutions out of 316 publicly traded banks and thrifts to achieve elite status through industry-leading growth, profitability, credit quality, and balance sheet strength. To qualify, banks must outperform industry medians on key financial metrics and meet rigorous thresholds across earnings, loan and deposit growth, return on equity, asset quality, and tangible capital levels.

"We are honored to once again be recognized as a Piper Sandler Sm-All Star," said Andrew C. Sagliocca, Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Esquire. "Earning a place among the country's top-performing financial institutions reflects the strength of our business model, our disciplined growth strategy, and our unwavering commitment to managing risk while delivering industry-leading performance for our stakeholders."

This recognition marks Esquire's third appearance on the Sm-All Stars list in the past several years, placing Esquire among an elite peer group of top-performing small-cap banks nationwide. The 2025 class represents the top 10% of publicly held institutions with market capitalizations between $50 million and $2.5 billion.

About Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc.

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in Jericho, New York, with branch offices in Jericho, New York and Los Angeles, California, as well as an administrative office in Boca Raton, Florida. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Esquire Bank, is a full-service commercial bank dedicated to serving the financial needs of the litigation industry and small businesses nationally, as well as commercial and retail customers in the New York metropolitan area. The Bank offers tailored financial and payment processing solutions to the litigation community and their clients as well as dynamic and flexible payment processing solutions to small business owners. For more information, visit www.esquirebank.com.

 

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SOURCE Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc.

FAQ

What did Esquire (ESQ) announce on December 10, 2025?

Esquire announced it was named to the Piper Sandler 2025 Bank & Thrift Sm-All Stars list.

How exclusive is the Piper Sandler 2025 Sm-All Stars designation for ESQ?

Esquire was one of 24 institutions out of 316 publicly traded banks and thrifts selected for the 2025 class.

What criteria did Piper Sandler use to select ESQ for the 2025 Sm-All Stars?

Selection was based on outperforming industry medians on earnings, loan and deposit growth, return on equity, asset quality, and tangible capital levels.

How many times has Esquire (ESQ) been named a Piper Sandler Sm-All Star?

The company said this is Esquire's third appearance on the Sm-All Stars list.

What market-capitalization range qualifies for the 2025 Sm-All Stars that included ESQ?

The 2025 class covers public institutions with market capitalizations between $50 million and $2.5 billion.

What does the Sm-All Stars recognition mean for ESQ shareholders in 2025?

The recognition highlights industry-leading metrics cited by Piper Sandler—growth, profitability, credit quality, and balance sheet strength—as positive performance signals.