ProShare Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 44.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,401 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,039,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ESE. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 7,364 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $981,000 after acquiring an additional 840 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,735 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,963,000 after acquiring an additional 546 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 4,602 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $613,000 after acquiring an additional 415 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 70.7% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 25,692 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,422,000 after acquiring an additional 10,639 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,206 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. 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 research note on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE ESE traded up $3.94 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $182.34. 37,154 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 132,327. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $101.42 and a 12-month high of $185.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $161.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.71 billion, a PE ratio of 42.82 and a beta of 1.19.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.10. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. The business had revenue of $265.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $264.96 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.09 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be issued 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 0.18%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.