ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Acquired by Envestnet Asset Management Inc.

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 9.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 84,519 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,558 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.33% of ESCO Technologies worth $13,449,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the first quarter worth $35,000. CX Institutional bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 150.0% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 305 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 627.1% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 88.1% during the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 666 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark upped their price target on shares of ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE ESE traded down $1.52 on Friday, hitting $196.01. 128,528 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 137,955. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.06 billion, a PE ratio of 42.98 and a beta of 1.21. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.70 and a 1-year high of $198.34. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $186.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $163.31. 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 (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.10. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 11.01% and a return on equity of 10.56%. The firm had revenue of $265.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $264.96 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.09 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 currently 7.02%.

ESCO Technologies 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.