ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Stake Lessened by William Blair Investment Management LLC

William Blair Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 12.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 258,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 35,917 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned 1.00% of ESCO Technologies worth $34,465,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in 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 worth $38,000 after buying an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 411 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 378.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

ESE traded down $2.56 on Friday, hitting $158.92. 369,797 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 118,140. The firm has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a PE ratio of 37.31 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 moving average of $150.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $138.78. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Benchmark upped their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

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.