Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $355,000 in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc., purchasing 2,231 shares valued at approximately $355,000 in the first quarter.
• ESCO Technologies reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, which was below the consensus estimate of $1.65, despite a 13.6% revenue increase year-over-year.
• Research firms recently shifted analysts' ratings on ESCO Technologies, with Wall Street Zen downgrading the stock from "buy" to "hold," while Benchmark raised its target price from $190 to $200.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,231 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $355,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,221 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,308,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,047 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 32.2% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 11,617 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,848,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 674 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 0.6%

ESCO Technologies stock traded up $1.10 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $195.30. 31,472 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 163,588. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.30 and a 52 week high of $198.34. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $189.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $170.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a PE ratio of 43.95 and a beta of 1.23.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.05). ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 11.19%. The company had revenue of $296.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $320.23 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is presently 7.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ESE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of 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.