ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Short Interest Down 11.2% in October

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 263,300 shares, a decline of 11.2% from the October 15th total of 296,500 shares. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 100,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 1.0 %

NYSE ESE traded up $1.42 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $146.89. 32,982 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 126,112. The company has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.94 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. ESCO Technologies has a 12 month low of $96.69 and a 12 month high of $154.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $127.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $117.59.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 7.4% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,168 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $553,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 56.5% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 11,440 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,225,000 after purchasing an additional 4,130 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 12,918 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,895,420 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $309,955,000 after acquiring an additional 15,801 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 272.7% in the first quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 19,794 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,119,000 after acquiring an additional 14,483 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Company 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.