Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Sells 1,374 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lessened its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 0.6% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 211,059 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,374 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $22,594,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the first quarter worth $56,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 53,200.0% during the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 533 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $126,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2,178.3% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 1,503 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ESE traded down $3.18 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $121.12. 95,280 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 134,987. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.62 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $109.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 2.15. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.59 and a 52 week high of $125.10.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $249.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $241.15 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 8.83% and a net margin of 9.94%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.76 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.22 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 3rd were issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 3rd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Tuesday, July 9th.

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.