ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Sold by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lowered its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 43.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,815 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 16,265 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned about 0.08% of ESCO Technologies worth $2,773,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 150.0% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 305 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 627.1% during 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, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 378.8% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ESE shares. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com downgraded ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Benchmark raised their price target 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 Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:ESE opened at $183.27 on Tuesday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $159.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $149.54. The company has a market capitalization of $4.73 billion, a PE ratio of 43.02 and a beta of 1.19. 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 52-week low of $101.42 and a 52-week high of $185.83.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $265.52 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $264.96 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

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

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