Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Increases Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

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

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,907,533 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $387,312,000 after buying an additional 32,306 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 152.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 380,104 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $50,634,000 after purchasing an additional 229,601 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 297,264 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $39,599,000 after acquiring an additional 19,465 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 240,952 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $32,097,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 184,376 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $24,561,000 after purchasing an additional 24,023 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESE stock traded down $3.78 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $189.21. 158,392 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 137,967. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.89 billion, a PE ratio of 41.49 and a beta of 1.21. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.70 and a twelve month high of $198.34. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $186.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $163.95.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $265.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $264.96 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 11.01%. ESCO Technologies's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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 $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Benchmark increased their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th.

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.