Alps Advisors Inc. Buys Shares of 2,250 ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Alps Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,250 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $358,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 64.8% in the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the period. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the first quarter worth $269,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the first quarter worth $38,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 9.8% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 84,519 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $13,449,000 after buying an additional 7,558 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.7% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 128,686 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $20,477,000 after buying an additional 3,420 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ESE traded down $1.52 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $196.01. 128,528 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 137,923. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.70 and a 1 year high of $198.34. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $186.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $163.11. The stock has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.98 and a beta of 1.21.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.10. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 11.01%. The company had revenue of $265.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $264.96 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd were issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ESE has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Benchmark raised their price target on ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 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.