Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Increases Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 27.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 6,775 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 1,464 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $902,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in ESCO Technologies by 102,833.3% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 3,088 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $411,000 after acquiring an additional 3,085 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,170,000. Atria Investments Inc purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $267,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,077 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,773,000 after buying an additional 6,203 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 287.5% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 775 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on ESE shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark boosted their price target on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com cut ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE ESE opened at $161.22 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $149.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.84 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.11 and a fifty-two week high of $171.28.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. On average, research analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.