PDT Partners LLC Trims Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

PDT Partners LLC cut its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 19.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,874 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 5,142 shares during the period. PDT Partners LLC owned 0.08% of ESCO Technologies worth $2,914,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in ESCO Technologies by 152.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 380,104 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $50,634,000 after acquiring an additional 229,601 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $13,066,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,435,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 87.3% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 144,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $19,187,000 after acquiring an additional 67,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $6,287,000. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Benchmark increased their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 3.3 %

Shares of ESE traded up $5.33 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $166.60. The company had a trading volume of 176,103 shares, compared to its average volume of 129,498. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $101.42 and a 1 year high of $171.28. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $156.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $145.34. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.11 and a beta of 1.07.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

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

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.