Corient Private Wealth LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 11.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,038 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 302 shares during the quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $405,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ESE. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised 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 period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 378.8% during 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 in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 287.5% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 775 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on ESE shares. Benchmark raised their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESE stock opened at $155.07 on Friday. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $153.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.40 and a beta of 1.11. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $97.11 and a 12 month high of $171.28.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 EPS 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 anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 7.51%.

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.