ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado decreased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 0.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 211,059 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,374 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado owned approximately 0.82% of ESCO Technologies worth $22,594,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies in the first quarter worth $56,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 53,200.0% in the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 533 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 532 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the first quarter worth about $126,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 2,178.3% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 1,503 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE traded down $3.18 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $121.12. 95,280 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 134,987. The stock has a market cap of $3.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.62 and a beta of 1.10. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.59 and a twelve month high of $125.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $109.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $105.31. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.06. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 9.94% and a return on equity of 8.83%. The company had revenue of $249.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $241.15 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.76 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 3rd were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 3rd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.40%.

About ESCO Technologies

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.