ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Sold by Arizona State Retirement System

Arizona State Retirement System lessened its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,208 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 126 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $844,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ESE. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $21,093,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,807,384 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $196,292,000 after buying an additional 122,558 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,747,370 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $187,838,000 after buying an additional 91,085 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $9,239,000. Finally, State Street Corp grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 988,280 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $67,569,000 after buying an additional 45,985 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at ESCO Technologies

In related news, Director Leon J. Olivier sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.26, for a total transaction of $90,234.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ESE shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 17th. Sidoti downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 1.6 %

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $97.26 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $102.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $104.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion, a PE ratio of 27.02 and a beta of 1.15. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $89.77 and a 12-month high of $118.60.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $218.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $221.44 million. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 8.59%. The company’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.89%.

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.