ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Purchased by Signaturefd LLC

Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 17.9% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 990 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ESE. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 43.0% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 469 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the second quarter worth approximately $50,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the first quarter worth approximately $126,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2,178.3% in 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 during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESE opened at $129.96 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 2.10. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.54 and a twelve month high of $131.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $122.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.97. The firm has a market cap of $3.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.14 and a beta of 1.08.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $260.78 million during the quarter. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 8.82% and a net margin of 9.95%. On average, analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 2nd were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Stephens upped their target price 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 assumed coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Monday, October 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company.

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.