Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Has $1.10 Million Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 9,371 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 126 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,097,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 76.4% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 60,409 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $7,070,000 after buying an additional 26,156 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 10,400 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,217,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 52.6% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,532 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $1,510,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $109.33 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $102.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.00. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $89.77 and a fifty-two week high of $118.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market cap of $2.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.37 and a beta of 1.14.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted 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 the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.05). ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 8.59%. The firm had revenue of $218.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $221.44 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. ESCO Technologies’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com lowered ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 17th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

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.