ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,358,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 17,852 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 5.26% of ESCO Technologies worth $158,959,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 44.3% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 14,556 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,703,000 after buying an additional 4,466 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 273,716 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $32,033,000 after purchasing an additional 4,248 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 76.4% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 60,409 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $7,070,000 after acquiring an additional 26,156 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 10,400 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,217,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 17th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Leon J. Olivier sold 900 shares of ESCO Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.26, for a total transaction of $90,234.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE ESE traded up $0.83 on Friday, reaching $108.99. The stock had a trading volume of 62,126 shares, compared to its average volume of 134,518. The business's 50-day moving average price is $103.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $104.35. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $89.77 and a 12-month high of $118.60. The stock has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.61 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 2.15.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.06. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 8.83% and a net margin of 9.94%. The company had revenue of $249.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $241.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.76 earnings per share. ESCO Technologies's revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.2 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.29%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 3rd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.40%.

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.