ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 0.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,879,619 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 554 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.16% of ESCO Technologies worth $337,002,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,022,943 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $119,715,000 after purchasing an additional 11,871 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 297,353 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,056,000 after acquiring an additional 965 shares during the period. Commerce Bank purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,226,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 273,716 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $32,033,000 after acquiring an additional 4,248 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 5,817.4% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 212,433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $24,861,000 after acquiring an additional 208,843 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $105.08 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $106.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.20. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.59 and a 52 week high of $118.60. The company has a market cap of $2.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.58 and a beta of 1.14.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.06. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 8.83% and a net margin of 9.94%. The firm had revenue of $249.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $241.15 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.76 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 3rd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 3rd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.40%.

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.