ESCO Technologies' (ESE) "Buy" Rating Reiterated at Benchmark

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reiterated by investment analysts at Benchmark in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $150.00 price objective on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock. Benchmark's price target indicates a potential upside of 4.05% from the stock's current price.

Separately, Stephens increased their price target on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE ESE traded up $4.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $144.16. 304,666 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 126,431. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $127.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $117.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.38 and a beta of 1.08. ESCO Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $96.69 and a fifty-two week high of $154.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 56.5% in 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 buying an additional 4,130 shares during the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 291.2% in the 1st quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 17,684 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,893,000 after purchasing an additional 13,164 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,372,850 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $144,204,000 after purchasing an additional 16,152 shares during the period. Creative Planning raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 53.1% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,043 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,682,000 after acquiring an additional 4,526 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 13,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About ESCO Technologies

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.