Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Decreases Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 17.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 78,200 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 16,150 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned 0.30% of ESCO Technologies worth $10,417,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in ESCO Technologies by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 29,840 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,975,000 after buying an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 31.9% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 32,901 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $4,244,000 after purchasing an additional 7,951 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 378.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised 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 purchasing an additional 3,562 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock traded up $3.99 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $150.60. 34,968 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 146,036. The firm has a market cap of $3.89 billion, a PE ratio of 35.35 and a beta of 1.07. The stock's fifty day moving average is $157.08 and its 200 day moving average is $143.77. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $101.32 and a 1 year high of $171.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on ESE. StockNews.com lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Benchmark lifted their target price on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th.

About ESCO Technologies

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.