Short Interest in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Increases By 23.9%

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 208,500 shares, a growth of 23.9% from the February 28th total of 168,300 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 136,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pitcairn Co. boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 3,479 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $463,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 2,919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,206 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $294,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $903,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have 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. StockNews.com downgraded ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ESE traded down $7.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $141.69. 199,349 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 127,249. The firm has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a PE ratio of 33.26 and a beta of 1.07. ESCO Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $97.11 and a fifty-two week high of $171.28. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.77. 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 (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 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, sell-side analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.23%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.