Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Buys 575 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 287.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 775 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $103,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 411 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 378.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $159.60 on Tuesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.11 and a 1 year high of $171.28. The company has a market cap of $4.12 billion, a PE ratio of 37.47 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $148.30 and its 200 day moving average is $137.94.

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, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 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 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ESE. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark boosted their price target on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th.

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.