HighTower Advisors LLC Acquires 5,336 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 215.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,813 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,336 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,041,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 287.5% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 775 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 575 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Benchmark raised their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 2.8 %

ESCO Technologies stock traded down $4.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $155.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 114,804 shares, compared to its average volume of 126,348. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $153.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $140.74. 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 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.21%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.51%.

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.