Creative Planning Grows Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,582 shares during the period. Creative Planning’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $895,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,895,420 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $309,955,000 after purchasing an additional 15,801 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,372,850 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $144,204,000 after acquiring an additional 16,152 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 6.1% during the first 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 acquiring an additional 69,500 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 0.3% during the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 3,146 shares during the period. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. lifted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 277.5% in the 2nd quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 395,460 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $41,539,000 after purchasing an additional 290,711 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Stephens upped their price target on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 3.4 %

ESE stock opened at $124.79 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $120.09 and its 200 day moving average is $112.09. The stock has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.75 and a beta of 1.08. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.59 and a 1-year high of $130.89.

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

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.