Prudential Financial Inc. Decreases Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Prudential Financial Inc. cut its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,274 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 784 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $3,791,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 55.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 11,516 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after acquiring an additional 4,125 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in ESCO Technologies by 5.3% during the third 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 2.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 7,963 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 31.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 32,901 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $4,244,000 after purchasing an additional 7,951 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 4.9% during 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 last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of ESE stock opened at $158.52 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The company has a market cap of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 1.11. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.11 and a 1 year high of $171.28. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $154.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $141.30.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders 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 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.