StockNews.com lowered shares of ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Friday morning.
A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on ESE. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark raised their target price on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.
View Our Latest Research Report on ESE
ESCO Technologies Price Performance
Shares of NYSE ESE traded up $6.63 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $166.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 307,499 shares, compared to its average volume of 118,917. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04. The company has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.98 and a beta of 1.11. The business's 50 day moving average price is $150.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.12. ESCO Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $97.11 and a fifty-two week high of $171.28.
ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. On average, analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.
ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is 7.51%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pitcairn Co. raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 3,479 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 411 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 2,919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,206 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.
ESCO Technologies Company Profile
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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.
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