Public Sector Pension Investment Board Sells 2,000 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Public Sector Pension Investment Board reduced its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,669 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $7,051,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Select Equity Group L.P. boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 277.5% during the second 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 buying an additional 290,711 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $15,632,000. F M Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $9,455,000. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 35.5% during the second quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 185,850 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $19,522,000 after purchasing an additional 48,693 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 18.3% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 283,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $29,754,000 after purchasing an additional 43,907 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of ESE stock opened at $148.41 on Friday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.69 and a 52-week high of $154.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.67 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $133.54 and its 200-day moving average is $120.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.91.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.22%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on ESE. StockNews.com downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Stephens boosted their price target on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Friday, November 15th.

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.