ProShare Advisors LLC Has $1.04 Million Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 44.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ESE. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 340.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,413 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $5,728,000 after buying an additional 34,340 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 67.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,169 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $156,000 after acquiring an additional 471 shares in the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its position in ESCO Technologies by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 1,743 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $232,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 6,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $903,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. 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, 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 research report on Friday, May 9th.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

NYSE ESE traded down $0.55 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $182.09. The company had a trading volume of 16,914 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,166. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $101.42 and a twelve month high of $185.83. The company has a market capitalization of $4.70 billion, a PE ratio of 42.75 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $161.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.23.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $265.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $264.96 million. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. The firm'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 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 2nd. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is 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.