TD Asset Management Inc Has $1.95 Million Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

TD Asset Management Inc trimmed its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 17.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,256 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 2,674 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc's holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,950,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ESE. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,866 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,714,000 after acquiring an additional 2,089 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 87.3% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 144,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $19,187,000 after purchasing an additional 67,116 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $13,066,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 20.4% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,913 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $521,000 after buying an additional 664 shares during the period. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $218,000. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

NYSE ESE traded down $0.04 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $191.84. 150,935 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 161,744. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.05. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $188.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $168.29. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $111.06 and a 1-year high of $198.34. The company has a market cap of $4.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.07 and a beta of 1.23.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.10. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 11.01%. The firm had revenue of $265.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $264.96 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 7.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Benchmark lifted their target price 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.

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.