ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Acquired by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 52.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,532 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,252 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $764,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,141,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in ESCO Technologies by 89.8% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 67,686 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $7,069,000 after acquiring an additional 32,026 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 2.6% in the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,011,072 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $105,596,000 after acquiring an additional 26,040 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 6.2% during the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 10,090 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,054,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 269.0% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 34,253 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,577,000 after purchasing an additional 24,971 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $104.06 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $102.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.78. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $89.77 and a 1 year high of $118.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.98. The company has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.91 and a beta of 1.15.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $218.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $221.44 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 8.59% and a net margin of 9.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. Analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.2 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.89%.

Insider Activity at ESCO Technologies

In other ESCO Technologies news, Director Leon J. Olivier sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.26, for a total value of $90,234.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESE has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com downgraded ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 17th. Sidoti cut ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th.

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.