Vontobel Holding Ltd. Cuts Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lessened its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 29.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,154 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 2,202 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $665,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Select Equity Group L.P. boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 277.5% in the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 395,460 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $41,539,000 after buying an additional 290,711 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the second quarter valued at $15,632,000. Tributary Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $12,377,000. F M Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth $9,455,000. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 6.1% in the 1st 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 purchasing an additional 69,500 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:ESE opened at $127.26 on Tuesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.59 and a 52-week high of $130.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $121.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.28. The company has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a PE ratio of 33.40 and a beta of 1.08.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter. On average, equities research analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 8.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on ESE shares. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Monday. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens boosted their price target on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th.

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.