Atria Investments Inc Invests $267,000 in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Atria Investments Inc acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,003 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $267,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $135,950,000 after acquiring an additional 49,577 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 438,536 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $56,563,000 after purchasing an additional 13,894 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,077 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,773,000 after buying an additional 6,203 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the third quarter worth about $19,412,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in ESCO Technologies by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 125,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $16,687,000 after buying an additional 3,562 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on ESE. StockNews.com upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Benchmark increased their price target on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $159.60 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $137.94. The company has a market capitalization of $4.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.47 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.11 and a 52-week high of $171.28.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.51%.

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.