ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Short Interest Update

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 263,300 shares, a decrease of 11.2% from the October 15th total of 296,500 shares. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 100,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ESE. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday. Stephens increased their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the second quarter worth about $36,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $50,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 43.0% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 469 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 17.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 990 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of 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. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

ESE stock traded up $4.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $144.30. The company had a trading volume of 304,666 shares, compared to its average volume of 125,572. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a PE ratio of 36.62 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $127.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $117.48. ESCO Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $96.69 and a fifty-two week high of $154.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 8.12%.

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.