HighTower Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 5.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,477 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ESE. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,372,850 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $144,204,000 after acquiring an additional 16,152 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 1.8% during 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. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.3% in the third 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 last quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 277.5% during the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 290,711 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $38,678,000 after buying an additional 7,963 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Stephens boosted their target price 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 Price Performance

Shares of ESE opened at $133.78 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $138.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.08. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.69 and a fifty-two week high of $154.00. The company has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.95 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.91.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.24%. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 8.12%.

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.