Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Makes New $1.51 Million Investment in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 12,900 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $1,510,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ESE. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Point72 Middle East FZE acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, State of Wyoming raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 25.6% in the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 917 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at ESCO Technologies

In related news, Director Leon J. Olivier sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.26, for a total value of $90,234.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Sidoti downgraded ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 5th. StockNews.com downgraded ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 17th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of ESE stock traded up $2.24 on Friday, reaching $100.92. 201,831 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 132,839. The stock has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.03 and a beta of 1.15. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $101.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $103.87. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $89.77 and a 1-year high of $118.60.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $221.44 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 8.59% and a net margin of 9.60%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.2 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.32%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.89%.

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.