Trust Point Inc. Decreases Stock Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Trust Point Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 34.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,758 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 2,551 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc.'s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $634,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 1,743 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 67.5% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,169 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $156,000 after purchasing an additional 471 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,958 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,917 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,608,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 19.9 %

NYSE:ESE traded up $26.31 on Friday, hitting $158.73. The stock had a trading volume of 331,908 shares, compared to its average volume of 87,567. The business's fifty day moving average is $136.01 and its 200 day moving average is $129.87. The company has a market cap of $4.09 billion, a PE ratio of 37.26 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $96.69 and a 52 week high of $162.74.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last issued 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 9.99% and a net margin of 10.44%. On average, equities research analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on ESE. StockNews.com upgraded ESCO Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 20th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Friday, November 15th.

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.