Creative Planning Buys 4,526 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Creative Planning lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 53.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 13,043 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 4,526 shares during the period. Creative Planning’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,682,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Select Equity Group L.P. lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 277.5% during the 2nd quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 395,460 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $41,539,000 after buying an additional 290,711 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at $15,632,000. F M Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the second quarter worth $9,455,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 6.1% during the first quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,215,101 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $130,077,000 after acquiring an additional 69,500 shares during the period. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 35.5% in the second quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 185,850 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $19,522,000 after acquiring an additional 48,693 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE:ESE opened at $128.95 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $95.54 and a 12-month high of $131.26. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $122.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.83 and a beta of 1.08.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $260.78 million during the quarter. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 8.82%. Equities research analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Benchmark assumed coverage on ESCO Technologies in a report on Monday, October 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th.

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.