Diversified Trust Co Purchases 1,050 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Diversified Trust Co grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,281 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,584,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ESE. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the second quarter worth about $36,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the second quarter worth approximately $50,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 43.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 469 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the first quarter valued at approximately $126,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 2,178.3% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 1,503 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Stephens lifted their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $122.58 on Wednesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.59 and a 1 year high of $130.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.17 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.96.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $260.78 million during the quarter. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 8.82%. As a group, research 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.