Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 39,523 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $5,265,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC owned about 0.15% of ESCO Technologies at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $19,412,000. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $135,950,000 after buying an additional 49,577 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 340.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,413 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $5,728,000 after buying an additional 34,340 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 3.3% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 438,536 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $56,563,000 after buying an additional 13,894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 46.9% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 39,013 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $5,032,000 after buying an additional 12,461 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
ESCO Technologies Stock Performance
NYSE:ESE traded up $3.86 on Friday, reaching $160.71. 141,800 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 116,931. The firm has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.72 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $147.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.65. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $97.11 and a 52 week high of $171.28.
ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.
ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.20%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.51%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Benchmark increased 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 restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.
Check Out Our Latest Report on ESCO Technologies
About ESCO Technologies
(
Free Report)
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.
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