Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Lowers Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System decreased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,631 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 66 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,150,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 747.1% in the fourth 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. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 20.9% in the third 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. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 21.7% in the fourth 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 1.6 %

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $158.92 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a PE ratio of 37.31 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a one year low of $97.11 and a one year high of $171.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $150.54 and a 200 day moving average of $138.95.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 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, sell-side analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is 7.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Benchmark upped 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.

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.