New York State Teachers Retirement System Has $1.42 Million Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

New York State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 13.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,117 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,943 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 5,250 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $548,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 5.2% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,091 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 7.1% in the third quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 2,564 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. 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 purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 21,891 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,497,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of ESE opened at $97.26 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.51 billion, a PE ratio of 27.02 and a beta of 1.15. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $89.77 and a 52-week high of $118.60. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $102.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $104.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.98.

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

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.33%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.89%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Leon J. Olivier sold 900 shares of ESCO Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.26, for a total value of $90,234.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sidoti cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. StockNews.com downgraded ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 17th.

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.