JPMorgan Chase & Co. Acquires 67,116 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 87.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 144,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 67,116 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $19,187,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ESE. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% during 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 acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 378.8% in 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 during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake 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 worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 287.5% during the fourth 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESE has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE ESE opened at $146.75 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 has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.45 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $156.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.50. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $97.11 and a 1-year high of $171.28.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted 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 net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. As a group, analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 7.51%.

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.