First Trust Advisors LP Acquires 16,170 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 91.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,783 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,170 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.13% of ESCO Technologies worth $4,500,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 150.0% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 305 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 627.1% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 378.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ESE shares. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE:ESE traded down $0.06 on Wednesday, reaching $164.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 164,601 shares, compared to its average volume of 129,994. The firm has a market cap of $4.23 billion, a PE ratio of 38.50 and a beta of 1.19. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $156.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $146.38. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.42 and a 1-year high of $171.28.

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

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 7.51%.

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.