XTX Topco Ltd Makes New $1.15 Million Investment in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 8,648 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $1,152,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 46,493 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $6,193,000 after buying an additional 2,080 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,708 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,435,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 627.1% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 137,478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $18,313,000 after purchasing an additional 4,439 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ESE shares. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Benchmark lifted 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 Stock Down 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE ESE traded down $4.54 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $146.62. The stock had a trading volume of 11,750 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,581. The company has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.42 and a beta of 1.07. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $157.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.62. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $100.84 and a 52 week high of $171.28.

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 (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%. Analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 7.51%.

ESCO Technologies 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.