Strs Ohio Sells 3,200 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Strs Ohio cut its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 31.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,100 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 3,200 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $830,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $276,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $288,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 17.5% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,280 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $447,000 after buying an additional 636 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 2.7% during the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 5,250 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $548,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at ESCO Technologies

In other news, Director Leon J. Olivier sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.26, for a total value of $90,234.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ESE. StockNews.com lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 17th. Sidoti lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $104.28 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.31. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $89.77 and a 1-year high of $118.60. The company has a market capitalization of $2.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.97 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $102.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.85.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.05). ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 8.59%. The firm had revenue of $218.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $221.44 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. ESCO Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.89%.

ESCO Technologies 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.