ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Holdings Increased by Federated Hermes Inc.

Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 15.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 184,376 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 24,023 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. owned 0.71% of ESCO Technologies worth $24,561,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ESE. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 150.0% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 305 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on ESE shares. Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE:ESE traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $150.60. 18,739 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 147,803. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $97.11 and a 52 week high of $171.28. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $157.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.35 and a beta of 1.07.

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 (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, sell-side analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued 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 dividend yield of 0.21%. 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.