ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Shares Acquired by First National Bank of Omaha

First National Bank of Omaha increased its position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 25.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,343 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 1,095 shares during the period. First National Bank of Omaha’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $689,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,372,850 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $144,204,000 after buying an additional 16,152 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 4.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $135,950,000 after purchasing an additional 49,577 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 1.8% during the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,047,741 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $135,138,000 after purchasing an additional 18,676 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 3.3% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 438,536 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $56,563,000 after purchasing an additional 13,894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. increased its position in 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 worth $41,539,000 after purchasing an additional 290,711 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of ESE stock opened at $143.51 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.70 billion, a PE ratio of 36.42 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $121.75. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $96.69 and a twelve month high of $154.00.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

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.