ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Short Interest Down 11.2% in October

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 263,300 shares, a decrease of 11.2% from the October 15th total of 296,500 shares. Approximately 1.0% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 100,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies in the second quarter worth $36,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth about $50,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 43.0% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 469 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 17.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 990 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $128,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 2,178.3% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 1,503 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE:ESE traded up $4.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $144.30. 304,666 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 125,572. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $127.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $117.48. ESCO Technologies has a 12-month low of $96.69 and a 12-month high of $154.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.62 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is 8.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ESE shares. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Friday. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th.

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.