Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Invests $276,000 in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,361 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $276,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ESE. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Point72 Middle East FZE bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Finally, State of Wyoming increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 25.6% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 917 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESE opened at $100.92 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $101.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $89.77 and a 12 month high of $118.60. The company has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.03 and a beta of 1.15.

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

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.32%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Activity at ESCO Technologies

In related news, Director Leon J. Olivier sold 900 shares of ESCO Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.26, for a total transaction of $90,234.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.