Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Purchases 7,558 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 9.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 84,519 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 7,558 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $13,449,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,907,533 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $387,312,000 after acquiring an additional 32,306 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 152.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 380,104 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $50,634,000 after acquiring an additional 229,601 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 297,264 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $39,599,000 after acquiring an additional 19,465 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 240,952 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $32,097,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 184,376 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $24,561,000 after acquiring an additional 24,023 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:ESE opened at $196.01 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.70 and a 12 month high of $198.34. The company has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a PE ratio of 42.98 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $163.11.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.10. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 11.01% and a return on equity of 10.56%. The firm had revenue of $265.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $264.96 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is 7.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st.

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.