ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Acquired by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 16,208 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 1,135 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $2,158,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,907,533 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $387,312,000 after purchasing an additional 32,306 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $135,950,000 after acquiring an additional 49,577 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,077 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,773,000 after acquiring an additional 6,203 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $19,412,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 125,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $16,687,000 after purchasing an additional 3,562 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESE has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Benchmark upped their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESE opened at $158.52 on Wednesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.11 and a 1 year high of $171.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a PE ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $154.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $141.30.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. On average, analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.51%.

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.