Summitry LLC Makes New Investment in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Summitry LLC bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 1,761 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $235,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in 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 valued at $387,312,000 after buying an additional 32,306 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $135,950,000 after purchasing an additional 49,577 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.3% in the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 438,536 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $56,563,000 after purchasing an additional 13,894 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,077 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,773,000 after purchasing an additional 6,203 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $19,412,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

ESE stock opened at $165.15 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.77 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $151.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $97.11 and a 12 month high of $171.28.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.