ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Sold by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP cut its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 555,951 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 100,852 shares during the period. ESCO Technologies makes up 0.7% of Royce & Associates LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Royce & Associates LP owned about 2.16% of ESCO Technologies worth $71,707,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 0.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,895,420 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $309,955,000 after acquiring an additional 15,801 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,372,850 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $144,204,000 after purchasing an additional 16,152 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,215,101 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $130,077,000 after purchasing an additional 69,500 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,047,741 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $135,138,000 after buying an additional 18,676 shares during the period. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 277.5% during the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 395,460 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $41,539,000 after buying an additional 290,711 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 2.6 %

NYSE ESE opened at $139.62 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.17 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $126.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $96.69 and a 52 week high of $147.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ESE shares. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Stephens raised their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 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.