ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Bought by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,091 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned about 0.05% of ESCO Technologies worth $1,877,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ESE. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 411 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 6,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $903,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,958 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE ESE opened at $165.23 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $141.98 and a 200-day moving average of $134.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.11 and a 52-week high of $171.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a PE ratio of 38.79 and a beta of 1.13.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 20th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday.

ESCO Technologies Company 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.