CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Lowers Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co trimmed its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 37,224 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 661 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $4,949,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 350.0% during the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 900 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $120,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at $1,117,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $352,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $1,152,000. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 46,493 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $6,193,000 after purchasing an additional 2,080 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of ESE stock opened at $157.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The business has a 50-day moving average of $156.62 and a 200 day moving average of $144.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.07 billion, a PE ratio of 37.04 and a beta of 1.07. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.32 and a 1-year high of $171.28.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 was Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.