Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP Cuts Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP lessened its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 36.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 27,481 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 15,524 shares during the quarter. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $3,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 9.1% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 70,387 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $9,079,000 after acquiring an additional 5,874 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,372,850 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $144,204,000 after purchasing an additional 16,152 shares in the last quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $942,000. Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 53.1% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,043 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,682,000 after purchasing an additional 4,526 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1.6% in the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 13,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Friday, November 15th. Stephens boosted their target price on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $151.69 on Tuesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.69 and a 12 month high of $154.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.50 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $131.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $119.26.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. 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.