Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Sells 12,451 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P trimmed its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 426,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 12,451 shares during the quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned approximately 1.65% of ESCO Technologies worth $56,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 378.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 21.7% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 287.5% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

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ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESE stock traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $155.33. 35,794 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 141,385. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $153.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.74. The company has a market cap of $4.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.46 and a beta of 1.11. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $97.11 and a 12-month high of $171.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ESE shares. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark increased their price target on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st.

ESCO Technologies Company Profile

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.