Schroder Investment Management Group Has $28.76 Million Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Schroder Investment Management Group cut its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 25.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 215,731 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 72,795 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $28,755,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $19,412,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at about $13,066,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position 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 worth $19,187,000 after purchasing an additional 67,116 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $135,950,000 after buying an additional 49,577 shares during the period. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,265,000. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on ESE. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ESE opened at $158.52 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings 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. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.11 and a fifty-two week high of $171.28. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $154.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $141.30.

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

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

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

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.