ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Purchased by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 55.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 11,516 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,125 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,485,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,372,850 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $144,204,000 after purchasing an additional 16,152 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,047,741 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $135,138,000 after acquiring an additional 18,676 shares in the last quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. raised its holdings in 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 worth $41,539,000 after purchasing an additional 290,711 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 2.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 299,874 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,678,000 after purchasing an additional 7,963 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 18.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 283,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $29,754,000 after purchasing an additional 43,907 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESE has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Stephens lifted their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESE stock opened at $146.64 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $134.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.02. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $96.69 and a 52 week high of $154.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a PE ratio of 37.22 and a beta of 1.11.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.12%.

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.