Jump Financial LLC Sells 4,801 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Jump Financial LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 52.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,330 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 4,801 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC's holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $577,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ESE. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 150.0% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 305 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 627.1% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted 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 valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ESE. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com cut ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Benchmark raised their target price on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of ESE stock opened at $154.74 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $156.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $143.89. The stock has a market cap of $3.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.32 and a beta of 1.07. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $101.32 and a 12 month high of $171.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. On average, research analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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.

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