GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 2,531 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 101,892 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 2,531 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. owned 0.39% of ESCO Technologies worth $16,213,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ESE. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the first quarter worth $35,000. CX Institutional bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of ESE stock traded up $2.53 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $190.49. 223,060 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 137,564. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $174.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.58. The company has a market cap of $4.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.77 and a beta of 1.22. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.42 and a 1-year high of $192.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $265.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $264.96 million. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 11.01% and a return on equity of 10.56%. The company's revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 2nd. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is presently 7.02%.

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.