ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Acquired by EntryPoint Capital LLC

EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 135.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,514 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 2,598 shares during the quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC's holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $601,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 55.8% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 11,516 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,485,000 after acquiring an additional 4,125 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 299,874 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,678,000 after purchasing an additional 7,963 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $4,244,000 after buying an additional 7,951 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $135,950,000 after buying an additional 49,577 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on ESE shares. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Benchmark lifted 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 Stock Performance

ESE traded down $4.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $155.07. 114,804 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 126,348. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.35. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $97.11 and a 12 month high of $171.28. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.57. The stock has a market cap of $4.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.40 and a beta of 1.11.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. Analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.21%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is currently 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.