BNP Paribas Financial Markets Sells 3,797 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets cut its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 41.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,301 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 3,797 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $706,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 340.9% during 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 during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 67.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,169 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $156,000 after buying an additional 471 shares during the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 1,743 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 6,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $903,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on ESE. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE ESE traded up $0.59 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $183.23. The company had a trading volume of 10,828 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,142. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $161.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $151.23. 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 company has a market capitalization of $4.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.93 and a beta of 1.19. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $101.42 and a 12-month high of $185.83.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.10. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. The firm had revenue of $265.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $264.96 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. ESCO Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is 7.02%.

About ESCO Technologies

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.