ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Sold by Everence Capital Management Inc.

Everence Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,330 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 560 shares during the quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ESE. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 16,152 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $135,950,000 after purchasing an additional 49,577 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,047,741 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $135,138,000 after purchasing an additional 18,676 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 438,536 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $56,563,000 after purchasing an additional 13,894 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 277.5% in 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 buying an additional 290,711 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of ESE stock opened at $132.25 on Tuesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $96.69 and a twelve month high of $154.00. The company has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a PE ratio of 33.57 and a beta of 1.13. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $139.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $126.10.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com downgraded ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 1st. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company 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.