Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,768 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $635,000.
A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 20.9% in the third 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. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 21.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 6,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $903,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 5.3% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,958 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Benchmark upped their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st.
View Our Latest Stock Report on ESCO Technologies
ESCO Technologies Stock Performance
ESE traded down $4.47 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $160.26. 143,781 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 119,648. The company has a market capitalization of $4.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.62 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $151.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.84. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.11 and a fifty-two week high of $171.28.
ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 EPS 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%. As a group, analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is presently 7.51%.
ESCO Technologies Company 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.
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