Vanguard Group Inc. Grows Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,907,533 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 32,306 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.27% of ESCO Technologies worth $387,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ESE. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 378.8% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 287.5% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 775 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $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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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com cut ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESE traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $141.83. 221,164 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 127,623. The stock has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.29 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $155.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.01. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.11 and a 1 year high of $171.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.23%. ESCO Technologies's 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.