EntryPoint Capital LLC Raises Stock Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 135.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,514 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,598 shares during the quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $601,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ESE. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 14.4% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 17,275 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,228,000 after buying an additional 2,168 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $326,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 20.9% during 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 purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 183.6% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 5,534 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $714,000 after purchasing an additional 3,583 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 299,874 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,678,000 after purchasing an additional 7,963 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Benchmark boosted their price target on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 4.2 %

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $166.07 on Tuesday. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.11 and a fifty-two week high of $171.28. The company has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a PE ratio of 38.98 and a beta of 1.11. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $151.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $139.48.

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

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. ESCO Technologies’s 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.