GAMMA Investing LLC Grows Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 18.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 674 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 29,840 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,975,000 after buying an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 378.8% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $267,000. Swiss National Bank increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 50,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $6,754,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna International Group LLP increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 81.6% during the 4th quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 11,487 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,530,000 after buying an additional 5,160 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark raised their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 1.6%

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $196.11 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.01 and a beta of 1.21. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $102.55 and a 12 month high of $196.13. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $159.47.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $265.52 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $264.96 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 11.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. Equities analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.02%.

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.