Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE – Free Report) by 9.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 121,704 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 12,557 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.47% of ESCO Technologies worth $15,697,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ESE. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,895,420 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $309,955,000 after buying an additional 15,801 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1.2% in the 2nd 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 period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,215,101 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $130,077,000 after purchasing an additional 69,500 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 18,676 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 277.5% during the 2nd quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 395,460 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $41,539,000 after acquiring an additional 290,711 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
ESE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday. Stephens increased their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th.
Read Our Latest Report on ESE
ESCO Technologies Stock Performance
ESCO Technologies stock opened at $144.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 2.10. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.69 and a fifty-two week high of $154.00. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $127.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.09. The stock has a market cap of $3.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.38 and a beta of 1.08.
ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.29%.
ESCO Technologies Company Profile
(Free Report)
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.
Recommended Stories
Receive News & Ratings for ESCO Technologies Daily – Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts’ ratings for ESCO Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com’s FREE daily email newsletter.
