Summitry LLC purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,761 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $235,000.
Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the third quarter worth $19,412,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 49,577 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,265,000. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 340.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,413 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $5,728,000 after purchasing an additional 34,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,907,533 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $387,312,000 after purchasing an additional 32,306 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.
ESCO Technologies Price Performance
NYSE:ESE traded down $4.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $155.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 114,804 shares, compared to its average volume of 126,348. 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 company has a market capitalization of $4.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.40 and a beta of 1.11. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $97.11 and a twelve month high of $171.28. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.57.
ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.
ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.21%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is 7.51%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research firms recently weighed in on ESE. Benchmark upped their price objective 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. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st.
Read Our Latest Analysis on ESCO Technologies
ESCO Technologies Company Profile
(
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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