Essa Bancorp, Inc. (ESSA) SEC Filing 10-K Annual report for the fiscal year ending Monday, September 30, 2013

Exhibit 99.1

ESSA BANCORP, INC. ANNOUNCES FISCAL FOURTH QUARTER EARNINGS RESULTS AND RECORD NET INCOME FOR 2013

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, October 23, 2013 — ESSA Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ Global Market^SM: ESSA), the holding Company for ESSA Bank & Trust, a $1.4 billion asset institution providing full service retail and commercial banking, financial and investment services, today announced its operating results for the fiscal three months and year ended September 30, 2013. The record results for the year ended September 30, 2013, reflect the effects of ESSA’s acquisition of First Star Bancorp on July 31, 2012.

The Company reported net income of $2.0 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, for the three months ended September 30, 2013, compared with a net loss of $2.1 million, or $(0.18) per diluted share, for the Company’s fourth fiscal quarter 2012. The Company’s return on average assets (ROAA) and return on average equity (ROAE), respectively, were 0.59% and 4.95%, compared with (0.64)% and (4.90)%, in the corresponding period of fiscal 2012.

For the twelve months ended September 30, 2013, the Company reported record net income of $8.8 million, or $0.76 per diluted share, compared with net income of $215,000, or $0.02 per diluted share, for the corresponding 2012 period. The Company’s ROAA, and ROAE, respectively, were 0.64% and 5.12% for the 2013 period, compared with 0.02% and 0.13%, in the corresponding period of 2012.

Gary S. Olson, President and CEO, commented: “Fiscal 2013 was a momentous period in ESSA’s history. We concluded our first full year of operations following ESSA’s acquisition of First Star Bancorp in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. ESSA has transformed into a commercial-focused banking organization with the capital resources, scale, talent, and visibility necessary to build substantial value for shareholders over time. Our expansion into the Lehigh Valley was prudent, as Lehigh County continues to demonstrate growth on several fronts and offers a one hour commute to Philadelphia and less than two hours to New York City. We believe this market has very attractive long-term demographic characteristics given its proximity to these two major metropolitan markets, and its healthy and diverse economy.

“Our top and bottom line performance improved markedly, this year over last year. We expect the dilution to tangible book value payback period to be approximately eighteen months for the First Star acquisition, an accomplishment we are particularly proud of, and one that reflects the sound nature of our strategic growth plan.”

“We continue to believe our stock is undervalued and have taken action that reflects this belief. In conjunction with our ongoing stock repurchase program, ESSA repurchased 1.26 million shares of ESSA common stock at a weighted average purchase price of $11.07 during the twelve months ended September 30, 2013.”