Victory Capital Management Inc. Reduces Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Victory Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 69,680 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 707 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.27% of ESCO Technologies worth $9,282,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $135,950,000 after purchasing an additional 49,577 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 438,536 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $56,563,000 after purchasing an additional 13,894 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,077 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,773,000 after purchasing an additional 6,203 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $19,412,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 125,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $16,687,000 after purchasing an additional 3,562 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.2 %

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $156.55 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $147.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.75 and a beta of 1.11. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.11 and a 52-week high of $171.28.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. Sell-side analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.51%.

ESCO Technologies Company 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.