Premier Fund Managers Ltd Acquires New Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Premier Fund Managers Ltd bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 7,337 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $942,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,168 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $553,000 after acquiring an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 56.5% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 11,440 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,225,000 after purchasing an additional 4,130 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,895,420 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $309,955,000 after purchasing an additional 15,801 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 1st quarter worth $575,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 16,452 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,762,000 after buying an additional 1,355 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Stephens raised their price target on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $146.29 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $128.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $117.87. The stock has a market cap of $3.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.12 and a beta of 1.08. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.69 and a 52-week high of $154.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.12%.

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.