Moody Aldrich Partners LLC Purchases Shares of 38,376 ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 38,376 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $4,491,000. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC owned 0.15% of ESCO Technologies as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Comerica Bank bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $9,239,000. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 13,079 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 1,624 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 89.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 67,686 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $7,069,000 after acquiring an additional 32,026 shares in the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $288,000. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 158,157 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $18,509,000 after acquiring an additional 11,550 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at ESCO Technologies

In other ESCO Technologies news, Director Leon J. Olivier sold 900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.26, for a total value of $90,234.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ESE shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 17th. Sidoti lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

NYSE:ESE traded up $0.23 on Tuesday, reaching $104.65. The stock had a trading volume of 74,310 shares, compared to its average volume of 129,212. The company has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.07 and a beta of 1.15. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $89.77 and a 1-year high of $118.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $102.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $104.17.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $218.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $221.44 million. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 8.59%. ESCO Technologies's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.2 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.31%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.89%.

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.