Illumine Investment Management LLC Buys Shares of 4,545 ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Illumine Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 4,545 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $605,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 55.8% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 11,516 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after buying an additional 4,125 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in ESCO Technologies by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 70,387 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $9,079,000 after acquiring an additional 5,874 shares in the last quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth $942,000. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 299,874 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,678,000 after buying an additional 7,963 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 20th. Benchmark increased their target price on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $160.68 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $141.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.72 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.35. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.11 and a fifty-two week high of $171.28.

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

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors 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 dividend payout ratio is 7.51%.

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.