Essa Banc Stock Price, News & Analysis

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (historical ESSA stock) was a Pennsylvania-based financial holding company for ESSA Bank & Trust, a Pennsylvania-chartered stock savings bank. ESSA Bancorp, Inc. common stock traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol "ESSA" and was classified in the savings institutions and broader finance and insurance sector. According to company disclosures, ESSA Bank & Trust was formed in 1916 and operated as a full-service commercial and retail banking institution in eastern Pennsylvania.

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. and ESSA Bank & Trust focused on providing banking and related financial services in regional markets including the Lehigh Valley, Greater Pocono, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and suburban Philadelphia areas. The company described ESSA Bank & Trust as a $2.2 billion asset financial institution offering full service commercial and retail banking, asset management and trust services, and investment services in eastern Pennsylvania. Over time, ESSA also highlighted insurance benefit services offered through ESSA Advisory Services, LLC and investment services provided through Ameriprise Financial Institutions Group.

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. operated through a network of community offices and regional offices in Pennsylvania. Company press releases noted that ESSA maintained community offices across the greater Pocono and Lehigh Valley regions and later described a footprint of 19–21 community offices across the Lehigh Valley, Greater Pocono, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and suburban Philadelphia areas, along with regional offices in Allentown and Radnor. These locations supported the company’s emphasis on community banking and local service in its operating markets.

Business model and core activities

ESSA Bancorp, Inc.’s business model was centered on traditional banking activities conducted through ESSA Bank & Trust. Company communications described the bank as providing full service commercial and retail banking, which included deposit accounts and lending activities. Balance sheet and earnings disclosures in ESSA’s financial news releases referenced residential real estate loans, commercial real estate loans, commercial loans (primarily commercial and industrial), consumer loans, and loans to states and political subdivisions. These loan categories formed the core of the bank’s interest-earning assets.

On the funding side, ESSA reported deposits as a primary source of liabilities, including noninterest-bearing demand accounts, interest-bearing demand accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company also reported the use of short-term borrowings and other borrowings as part of its funding structure. Disclosures highlighted the mix of core deposits (demand, savings and money market accounts) and certificates of deposit, including brokered certificates of deposit, as part of its liability management.

In addition to net interest income from loans and investment securities, ESSA Bancorp, Inc. reported noninterest income streams. Company financial statements and commentary referenced service fees on deposit accounts, service charges and fees on loans, loan swap fees, trust and investment fees, gains on sales of loans, earnings on bank-owned life insurance, insurance commissions, and other noninterest income. These items illustrate the contribution of fee-based services such as asset management and trust services, investment services, and insurance-related activities to the company’s overall revenue profile.

Asset base, capital and risk profile

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. consistently reported total assets of approximately $2.2 billion in its public communications. The company’s consolidated balance sheets showed a mix of loans receivable, investment securities available for sale, investment securities held to maturity, regulatory stock, bank-owned life insurance, premises and equipment, foreclosed real estate, goodwill, deferred income taxes, derivative and hedging assets, and other assets. On the liability side, ESSA reported deposits, short-term borrowings, other borrowings, advances by borrowers for taxes and insurance, derivative and hedging liabilities, and other liabilities.

Management commentary in earnings releases emphasized asset quality and capital adequacy. ESSA reported ratios of nonperforming assets to total assets, an allowance for credit losses to total loans, and levels of foreclosed real estate. The bank also disclosed Tier 1 capital ratios that exceeded regulatory standards for a well-capitalized institution, along with total stockholders’ equity and tangible book value per share. These disclosures reflected the company’s focus on credit risk management, capital strength, and the composition of its loan portfolio.

Dividend practices and shareholder focus

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. regularly announced quarterly cash dividends on its common stock. Multiple press releases described the Board of Directors declaring a dividend of fifteen cents per share, payable to shareholders of record as of specified dates and payable at the end of the respective months. Management commentary in financial result announcements linked the company’s earnings performance and capital position to its ability to approve ongoing quarterly cash dividends and to support measures of shareholder value such as return on average assets, return on average equity, and tangible book value per share.

Merger with CNB Financial Corporation and delisting

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. underwent a significant corporate change through a merger with CNB Financial Corporation. An Agreement and Plan of Merger dated January 9, 2025, provided that ESSA would merge with and into CNB Financial Corporation, with CNB as the surviving entity, and that ESSA Bank & Trust would merge with and into CNB Bank, with CNB Bank as the surviving bank. A Form 8-K filed in connection with the closing of the transaction reported that, effective after the close of business on July 23, 2025, ESSA merged with and into CNB and ESSA Bank merged with and into CNB Bank, and that the transaction (the “Merger” and related bank merger) was consummated on that date.

At the effective time of the Merger, each share of ESSA Bancorp, Inc. common stock outstanding immediately prior to the effective time was converted into the right to receive 0.8547 of a share of CNB Financial Corporation common stock, with holders receiving cash in lieu of fractional shares. The Form 8-K further explained that, as a result of the Merger, ESSA no longer fulfilled the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Global Select Market. ESSA notified Nasdaq that trading in ESSA common stock should be suspended and that the listing of ESSA common stock should be removed, and requested that Nasdaq file a Form 25 to effect the delisting of ESSA common stock and deregistration under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Following the completion of the Merger, ESSA Bancorp, Inc. took steps to terminate its remaining registration and reporting obligations. A Form 25 filed by Nasdaq Stock Market LLC on July 24, 2025, identified ESSA Bancorp, Inc. as the issuer and described the removal of its common stock from listing and registration on Nasdaq. Subsequently, a Form 15 filed on August 4, 2025, certified the termination of registration of ESSA Bancorp, Inc. common stock under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act and the suspension of the duty to file reports under Sections 13 and 15(d). The Form 15 noted that ESSA Bancorp, Inc. merged with and into CNB Financial Corporation on July 23, 2025, at which time the separate corporate existence of ESSA Bancorp, Inc. ended.

As a result of these events, ESSA Bancorp, Inc. no longer exists as an independent public company, and its former common stock is no longer listed or traded under the symbol "ESSA" on Nasdaq. Historical information about ESSA now serves as context for understanding the operations and markets that became part of CNB Financial Corporation and CNB Bank through the Merger.

Historical role in the savings institutions sector

Before its merger into CNB Financial Corporation, ESSA Bancorp, Inc. represented a regional savings institution holding company focused on community banking in eastern Pennsylvania. Through ESSA Bank & Trust, the company combined traditional commercial and retail banking with asset management and trust services, investment services, and insurance benefit services. Its loan portfolio composition, deposit mix, and capital measures, as disclosed in its financial statements and press releases, illustrate how a regional savings institution operated within the finance and insurance sector and within the savings institutions industry classification.

ESSA stock as a historical listing

For investors researching ESSA stock as a historical listing, it is important to note that ESSA Bancorp, Inc. common stock has been delisted and deregistered following the Merger with CNB Financial Corporation. Former holders of ESSA shares became entitled to receive CNB common stock and cash in lieu of fractional shares based on the exchange ratio specified in the Merger Agreement. Any current trading activity or corporate developments related to the former ESSA business are reflected under CNB Financial Corporation and its securities, rather than under the former ESSA ticker.