ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Earns Overweight Rating from Stephens

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "overweight" rating restated by investment analysts at Stephens in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $175.00 price objective on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock. Stephens' target price suggests a potential upside of 7.38% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark lifted their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 20th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 1.2 %

ESE traded down $1.90 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $162.98. 160,166 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 117,170. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.26 and a beta of 1.13. ESCO Technologies has a one year low of $97.11 and a one year high of $171.28. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $142.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 9.91%. As a group, analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of ESCO Technologies

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ESE. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 152.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 380,104 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $50,634,000 after buying an additional 229,601 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $13,066,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $11,435,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 87.3% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 144,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $19,187,000 after purchasing an additional 67,116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $135,950,000 after purchasing an additional 49,577 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.