Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 682 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 20,695 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 682 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $2,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $323,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,038 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $405,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 2,919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 17,611 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,346,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 50,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $6,754,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on ESE. StockNews.com cut ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $159.79 on Friday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $97.11 and a twelve month high of $171.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $152.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $140.12. The firm has a market cap of $4.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.51 and a beta of 1.11.

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

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s 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.