Intech Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 240.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,824 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,290 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC owned 0.07% of ESCO Technologies worth $2,508,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 411 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 2,919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $389,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 6,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $903,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE ESE opened at $161.22 on Friday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.11 and a fifty-two week high of $171.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $149.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $138.51. The stock has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.84 and a beta of 1.11.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) 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 return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. On average, analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ESE shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark raised their price target on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday.

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.