Swiss National Bank Buys 400 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 50,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.20% of ESCO Technologies worth $6,754,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ESE. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the third quarter valued at $19,412,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 4.9% during 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 during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,265,000. Barclays PLC grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 340.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,413 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $5,728,000 after buying an additional 34,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.3% during the third 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 buying an additional 13,894 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 1.6 %

NYSE:ESE opened at $158.92 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.31 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. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $150.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.95. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.11 and a 52-week high of $171.28.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 7.51%.

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.