William Blair Investment Management LLC Has $34.47 Million Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

William Blair Investment Management LLC decreased its position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 12.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 258,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 35,917 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $34,465,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ESE. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $19,412,000. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in 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 purchasing an additional 49,577 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,265,000. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 340.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,413 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $5,728,000 after purchasing an additional 34,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its position 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of ESE stock opened at $155.57 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $4.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.52 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $148.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $138.19. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.11 and a 1 year high of $171.28.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. On average, research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 7.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Benchmark boosted their price target on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 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.