ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE – Get Rating) in a research report report published on Thursday morning. The firm issued a buy rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Separately, Stephens lifted their price target on ESCO Technologies from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, November 21st.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $87.26 on Thursday. ESCO Technologies has a 12-month low of $60.03 and a 12-month high of $101.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $93.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.70. The stock has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a PE ratio of 26.52 and a beta of 1.12.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.11. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 8.36% and a net margin of 9.65%. The firm had revenue of $205.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $193.47 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that ESCO Technologies will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 18th. Investors of record on Monday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 31st. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.73%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ESE. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $21,093,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,807,384 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $196,292,000 after acquiring an additional 122,558 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.4% in the second quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,747,370 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $187,838,000 after acquiring an additional 91,085 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 988,280 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $67,569,000 after acquiring an additional 45,985 shares during the period. Finally, Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 21.4% in the second quarter. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 234,431 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $16,028,000 after acquiring an additional 41,325 shares during the period. 93.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESCO Technologies Company Profile

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ESCO Technologies, Inc is a producer of engineered products and systems, which engages in the provision of utility, industrial, aerospace, and commercial applications. It operates through the Aerospace & Defense (A&D), RF Shielding and Test, and Utility Solutions Group (USG) segments. The A&D segment designs and manufactures specialty filtration products, including hydraulic filter elements and fluid control devices used in commercial aerospace applications, unique filter mechanisms used in micro-propulsion devices for satellites, custom designed filters for manned aircraft and submarines, products and systems to reduce vibration and/or acoustic signatures and otherwise reduce or obscure a vessel’s signature, and other communications, sealing, surface control and hydrodynamic related applications to enhance U.S.