Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Lowers Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System trimmed its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 12,500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,612,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ESE. Select Equity Group L.P. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 277.5% during the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 395,460 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $41,539,000 after acquiring an additional 290,711 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $15,632,000. F M Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $9,455,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 35.5% during 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 in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 3.1 %

NYSE:ESE opened at $125.55 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.13 and a 12 month high of $131.26. The company has a market cap of $3.23 billion, a PE ratio of 32.53 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $123.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.46.

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

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 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 0.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is 8.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ESE shares. Benchmark started coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Monday, October 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th.

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.