Enhancing Capital LLC Purchases New Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Enhancing Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,293 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $439,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ESE. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $19,412,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,265,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 340.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,413 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $5,728,000 after purchasing an additional 34,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its stake in 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 valued at $56,563,000 after purchasing an additional 13,894 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of ESE stock opened at $155.57 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $148.79 and a 200-day moving average of $138.19. 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. The company has a market capitalization of $4.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.52 and a beta of 1.11.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on ESE shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of 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 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.