Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP Sells 4,745 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP lessened its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 17.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,736 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 4,745 shares during the period. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $3,029,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ESE. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 20.9% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 411 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 378.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in ESCO Technologies by 21.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ESE opened at $158.92 on Monday. 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 firm has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.31 and a beta of 1.11. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $97.11 and a 1-year high of $171.28. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.12.

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

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on ESE. Benchmark increased their target price 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. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday.

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.