Swiss National Bank Has $6.75 Million Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 50,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $6,754,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 411 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 378.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $158.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.31 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $150.54 and its 200-day moving average is $138.95. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a one year low of $97.11 and a one year high of $171.28.

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

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given 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 currently 7.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.