Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Purchases Shares of 1,689 ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,689 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $269,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 29,840 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,975,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings 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 valued at $1,848,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. CX Institutional bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $289,000. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. 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 report on Friday, May 9th.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock traded up $1.89 during trading on Friday, hitting $193.18. The stock had a trading volume of 109,340 shares, compared to its average volume of 140,281. The firm has a market cap of $4.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.36 and a beta of 1.21. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.70 and a 12 month high of $196.13. The business's 50-day moving average is $183.52 and its 200 day moving average is $161.05. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $265.52 million for 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.09 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

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