Northern Trust Corp Purchases 19,465 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 7.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 297,264 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,465 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $39,599,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 340.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,413 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $5,728,000 after purchasing an additional 34,340 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,917 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,608,000 after buying an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP lifted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,958 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 67.5% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,169 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $156,000 after acquiring an additional 471 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Benchmark raised their price target on ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of ESE stock opened at $175.07 on Friday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $101.42 and a 12-month high of $179.42. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $156.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $147.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a PE ratio of 41.10 and a beta of 1.19.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.10. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. The firm had revenue of $265.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $264.96 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.18%. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 7.51%.

About ESCO Technologies

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.