AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 102,833.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,088 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 3,085 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $135,950,000 after acquiring an additional 49,577 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 3.3% in the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 438,536 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $56,563,000 after acquiring an additional 13,894 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,077 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $40,773,000 after acquiring an additional 6,203 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $19,412,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 125,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $16,687,000 after acquiring an additional 3,562 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several analysts have issued reports on ESE shares. StockNews.com raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on ESE
ESCO Technologies Stock Down 0.2 %
ESE stock opened at $156.55 on Friday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $97.11 and a twelve month high of $171.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market capitalization of $4.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.75 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.09.
ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. On average, equities research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.51%.
ESCO Technologies Profile
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Free Report)
ESCO Technologies Inc produces and supplies engineered products and systems for industrial and commercial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Aerospace & Defense, Utility Solutions Group, and RF Test & Measurement. The Aerospace & Defense segment designs and manufactures filtration products, including hydraulic filter elements and fluid control devices used in commercial aerospace applications; filter mechanisms used in micro-propulsion devices for satellites; and custom designed filters for manned aircraft and submarines.
See Also
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