148,823 Shares in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Acquired by Federated Hermes Inc.

Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 148,823 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,632,000. Federated Hermes Inc. owned about 0.58% of ESCO Technologies as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ESE. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 0.5% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,895,420 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $309,955,000 after purchasing an additional 15,801 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,215,101 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $130,077,000 after buying an additional 69,500 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 0.3% during the second quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,029,065 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $108,093,000 after purchasing an additional 3,146 shares during the period. Commerce Bank bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,226,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 18.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 283,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $29,754,000 after buying an additional 43,907 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Tuesday, July 9th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:ESE opened at $120.65 on Tuesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.59 and a 12 month high of $125.54. The stock has a market cap of $3.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.67 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $117.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.16. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.03). ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 8.82% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $260.78 million for the quarter. Equities analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.15 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio 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.