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

Benchmark started coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $150.00 target price on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Separately, Stephens raised their target price 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.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $127.59 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.49 and a beta of 1.08. ESCO Technologies has a 52 week low of $94.59 and a 52 week high of $130.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $122.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.54.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.03). The company 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%. Research analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 4.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 2nd were given 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 0.25%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.40%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 0.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,895,420 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $309,955,000 after purchasing an additional 15,801 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.2% during the second 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. Champlain Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 6.1% during the first 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 purchasing an additional 69,500 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 0.3% during the second quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,029,065 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $108,093,000 after purchasing an additional 3,146 shares during the period. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 period. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.