Yousif Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Yousif Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,790 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 207 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,304,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $19,412,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $135,950,000 after buying an additional 49,577 shares during the last quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 28.7% during the 3rd quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 180,352 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $23,262,000 after buying an additional 40,268 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 340.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,413 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $5,728,000 after buying an additional 34,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,047,741 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $135,138,000 after acquiring an additional 18,676 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on ESE shares. Benchmark lifted their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 20th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $164.64 on Friday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.11 and a fifty-two week high of $167.61. The business’s fifty day moving average is $137.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market cap of $4.25 billion, a PE ratio of 38.65 and a beta of 1.13.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 10.44%. Analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.51%.

ESCO Technologies 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.