ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Earns Buy Rating from Benchmark

Benchmark reiterated their buy rating on shares of ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) in a report published on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $150.00 price objective on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock.

Separately, Stephens upped their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of ESE traded up $2.62 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $130.83. The stock had a trading volume of 83,576 shares, compared to its average volume of 123,679. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.89 and a beta of 1.08. ESCO Technologies has a 52 week low of $96.69 and a 52 week high of $131.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The company's fifty day moving average is $123.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.17.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $260.78 million during the quarter. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 8.82%. On average, analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies will post 4.15 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is presently 8.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Select Equity Group L.P. grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 277.5% in the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 290,711 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $15,632,000. F M Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $9,455,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,215,101 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $130,077,000 after acquiring an additional 69,500 shares during the period. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 35.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 48,693 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

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.