Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 64.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $76,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ESE. Pitcairn Co. boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 3,479 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 2,919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $389,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,047 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $326,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 11,617 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,848,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 674 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Benchmark upped their price target on ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen cut ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 0.8%

ESE stock opened at $196.01 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.98 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $186.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $163.11. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $108.70 and a fifty-two week high of $198.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.05.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 11.01% and a return on equity of 10.56%. The company’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd were issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.16%. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is 7.02%.

ESCO Technologies 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.