Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 152 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Hsbc Holdings PLC lessened its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,726 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 152 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $496,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 150.0% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 305 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 627.1% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 378.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ESE shares. StockNews.com cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Benchmark lifted their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE ESE opened at $163.98 on Wednesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.42 and a 1-year high of $171.28. The company has a 50-day moving average of $156.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $146.26. The company has a market cap of $4.23 billion, a PE ratio of 38.49 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. As a group, equities analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.51%.

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.