GAMMA Investing LLC Takes $45,000 Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 388 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $276,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $288,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 17.5% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,280 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 636 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 5,250 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $548,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $107.28 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.80 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50-day moving average of $102.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $103.81. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $89.77 and a fifty-two week high of $118.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.31.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.62 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $221.44 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 8.59% and a net margin of 9.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.30%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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 transaction of $90,234.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

ESCO Technologies Company Profile

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.