KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases New Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 5,100 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $679,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.1% during 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 purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 6,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $903,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 5.3% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,958 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.4 %

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $158.52 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $154.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.30. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $97.11 and a 52 week high of $171.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a PE ratio of 37.21 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.

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

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

About ESCO Technologies

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.