JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has $9.92 Million Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 3.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 76,923 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 3,020 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.30% of ESCO Technologies worth $9,922,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in ESE. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 1.2% during the second 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 during the period. State Street Corp raised 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 valued at $135,950,000 after buying an additional 49,577 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,047,741 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $135,138,000 after buying an additional 18,676 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 13,894 shares during the period. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 277.5% during the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 395,460 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $41,539,000 after buying an additional 290,711 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE ESE opened at $129.69 on Tuesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $96.69 and a 1 year high of $154.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $140.07 and its 200-day moving average is $127.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.35 billion, a PE ratio of 32.92 and a beta of 1.13.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ESE shares. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th.

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.