Jones Financial Companies Lllp Buys 254 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 747.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $38,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 55.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 11,516 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,485,000 after buying an additional 4,125 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 70,387 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $9,079,000 after buying an additional 5,874 shares during the period. Premier Fund Managers Ltd acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $942,000. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 299,874 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,678,000 after buying an additional 7,963 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

ESE opened at $155.57 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $148.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.19. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.11 and a 1 year high of $171.28. The company has a market capitalization of $4.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.52 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. Equities analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal 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. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark lifted their price target on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com raised ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th.

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.