Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Boosts Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 438,536 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,894 shares during the quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $56,563,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Select Equity Group L.P. grew its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 277.5% during the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 395,460 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $41,539,000 after buying an additional 290,711 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $15,632,000. F M Investments LLC bought a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $9,455,000. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 35.5% during the 2nd quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 185,850 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $19,522,000 after purchasing an additional 48,693 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 18.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 283,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $29,754,000 after purchasing an additional 43,907 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESE opened at $151.69 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.50 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.31. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a one year low of $96.69 and a one year high of $154.00. The business has a fifty day moving average of $130.97 and a 200 day moving average of $118.98.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.21%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ESE shares. Stephens upped their price target on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday.

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.