Natixis Advisors LLC Increases Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,611 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.07% of ESCO Technologies worth $2,346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $19,412,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 4.9% during the third 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. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,265,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 34,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 1.6 %

ESE stock opened at $158.92 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $97.11 and a 12-month high of $171.28. The stock has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.31 and a beta of 1.11. The business’s 50-day moving average is $150.54 and its 200 day moving average is $139.12.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.

ESCO Technologies Company 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.