Geneva Capital Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Geneva Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 835,676 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 11,576 shares during the quarter. ESCO Technologies comprises approximately 1.9% of Geneva Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Geneva Capital Management LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $111,320,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $135,950,000 after acquiring an additional 49,577 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its position in ESCO Technologies by 3.3% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 438,536 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $56,563,000 after buying an additional 13,894 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in ESCO Technologies by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,077 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,773,000 after buying an additional 6,203 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies during the third quarter worth about $19,412,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in ESCO Technologies by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 125,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $16,687,000 after buying an additional 3,562 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $164.75 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.35. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $97.11 and a 12 month high of $171.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.25 billion, a PE ratio of 38.67 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $144.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.56.

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

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on ESE shares. Benchmark upped their price target on 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 lowered ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

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.