Yousif Capital Management LLC Has $1.53 Million Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Yousif Capital Management LLC decreased its position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 1.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,628 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 162 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,532,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ESE. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 150.0% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 305 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 627.1% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 378.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 447 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 287.5% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 775 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 575 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $183.00 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.73 billion, a PE ratio of 42.96 and a beta of 1.22. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $169.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $154.82. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a one year low of $101.42 and a one year high of $187.83. 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 (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.10. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. The business had revenue of $265.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $264.96 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.09 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ESE. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th.

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.