Cibc World Markets Corp Acquires New Shares in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,422 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $323,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ESE. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 411 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in ESCO Technologies by 378.8% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com downgraded ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Benchmark upped their price target on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

NYSE ESE traded down $4.51 during trading on Friday, hitting $155.07. 114,804 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 126,677. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $97.11 and a 12-month high of $171.28. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $152.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.12. The company has a market capitalization of $4.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.40 and a beta of 1.11.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.21%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.51%.

ESCO Technologies Company Profile

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.