Royce & Associates LP Has $73.55 Million Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Royce & Associates LP trimmed its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 552,098 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 3,853 shares during the quarter. ESCO Technologies comprises 0.7% of Royce & Associates LP's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Royce & Associates LP owned about 2.14% of ESCO Technologies worth $73,545,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $135,950,000 after purchasing an additional 49,577 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 438,536 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $56,563,000 after buying an additional 13,894 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,077 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $40,773,000 after buying an additional 6,203 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $19,412,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 125,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $16,687,000 after acquiring an additional 3,562 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on ESE shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Benchmark upped 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.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ESE traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $161.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 289,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 118,464. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a one year low of $97.11 and a one year high of $171.28. The company has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $149.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.35. 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 announced 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.51%.

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.