Wellington Management Group LLP Increases Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 152.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 380,104 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 229,601 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned 1.47% of ESCO Technologies worth $50,634,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $13,066,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,435,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 87.3% in 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. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,287,000. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,265,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price target on ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

ESCO Technologies stock traded up $2.39 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $181.99. 21,691 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 132,296. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a one year low of $101.42 and a one year high of $185.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $163.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $152.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.70 billion, a PE ratio of 42.72 and a beta of 1.19.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $265.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $264.96 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.18%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 7.02%.

About ESCO Technologies

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.