TD Asset Management Inc Decreases Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

TD Asset Management Inc trimmed its position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 17.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,256 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 2,674 shares during the quarter. TD Asset Management Inc’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,950,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 152.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 380,104 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $50,634,000 after purchasing an additional 229,601 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 18,682.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 107,247 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $17,065,000 after buying an additional 106,676 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $13,066,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $11,435,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 87.3% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 144,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $19,187,000 after buying an additional 67,116 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Benchmark boosted 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.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

NYSE ESE opened at $191.04 on Monday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.70 and a 52 week high of $198.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.89 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $188.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $167.71.

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

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 2nd were issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.