T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. Sells 240,278 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 23.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 792,732 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 240,278 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 3.07% of ESCO Technologies worth $105,600,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pitcairn Co. boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 3,479 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $463,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 2,919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 6,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $903,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,958 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.8 %

ESE stock traded down $1.24 on Wednesday, reaching $156.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 30,002 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,093. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.00. The firm has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a PE ratio of 36.70 and a beta of 1.07. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $101.32 and a 12-month high of $171.28.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. As a group, research analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were issued 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 0.20%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.