Earnings of Essa Bancorp, Inc. (ESSA) increased in the June-ending quarter to $0.37 per share from $0.33 per share in the March-ending quarter of 2020. The hike in earnings was mainly attributable to strong loan growth on the back of Payroll Protection Program loans. Further, broad-based expense control and gains on sales of loans drove the net income. Earnings will likely decline in the coming quarters because of higher provision expense and normalization of gains on sales of loans. Moreover, a decline in the net interest margin will pressurize earnings. Overall, I’m expecting ESSA to