ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Short Interest Update

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 364,100 shares, an increase of 6.6% from the August 31st total of 341,700 shares. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 129,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its position in ESCO Technologies by 56.5% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 11,440 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,225,000 after acquiring an additional 4,130 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in ESCO Technologies by 48.9% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 23,703 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,537,000 after acquiring an additional 7,788 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies in the first quarter worth $482,000. Tributary Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies in the first quarter worth $12,377,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd raised its position in ESCO Technologies by 291.2% in the first quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 17,684 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,893,000 after acquiring an additional 13,164 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESE opened at $127.98 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. ESCO Technologies has a 52-week low of $94.59 and a 52-week high of $130.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $119.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $110.95. The company has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.59 and a beta of 1.08.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.03). ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 8.82% and a net margin of 9.95%. The company had revenue of $260.78 million for the quarter. Research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies will post 4.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Stephens boosted their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th.

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.