Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 2,737 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Franklin Resources Inc. trimmed its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,180 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 2,737 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.07% of ESCO Technologies worth $2,422,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 747.1% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 378.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 21.7% in the fourth 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 period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 287.5% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 775 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 575 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ESE. StockNews.com lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, 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.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock traded up $0.45 on Friday, hitting $151.28. The stock had a trading volume of 121,105 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,331. The stock has a market cap of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.51 and a beta of 1.07. 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 twelve month low of $98.77 and a twelve month high of $171.28. The business's 50 day moving average is $157.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.38.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. Analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 2nd. 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.