Legato Capital Management LLC Sells 785 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Legato Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,329 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 785 shares during the quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,909,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $19,412,000. State Street Corp increased 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 acquiring an additional 49,577 shares in the last quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 28.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 180,352 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $23,262,000 after acquiring an additional 40,268 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 340.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,413 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $5,728,000 after acquiring an additional 34,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,047,741 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $135,138,000 after acquiring an additional 18,676 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ESE shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 20th. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $165.19 on Wednesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $96.69 and a 52 week high of $166.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $136.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $130.27. The company has a market cap of $4.26 billion, a PE ratio of 38.78 and a beta of 1.13.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 10.44%. Equities analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.