OLD National Bancorp IN Sells 153 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

OLD National Bancorp IN lessened its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,465 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 153 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $288,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ESE. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 52.6% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,532 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $764,000 after buying an additional 2,252 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $1,510,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 104,768 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $12,261,000 after buying an additional 1,625 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,022,943 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $119,715,000 after buying an additional 11,871 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moody Aldrich Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $4,491,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Leon J. Olivier sold 900 shares of ESCO Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.26, for a total value of $90,234.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $104.28 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.69 billion, a PE ratio of 28.97 and a beta of 1.15. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $102.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $103.85. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $89.77 and a 12 month high of $118.60.

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

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

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.