Marshall Wace LLP Acquires New Shares in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 8,389 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $1,117,000.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESE has been the topic of several research reports. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark upped their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report 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 1.0 %

Shares of ESE traded down $1.66 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $165.12. 9,961 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 129,032. The business has a fifty day moving average of $156.09 and a 200-day moving average of $145.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a PE ratio of 38.68 and a beta of 1.07. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.42 and a 1-year high of $171.28. 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 (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. Analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is presently 7.51%.

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.