ESCO Technologies’ (ESE) “Overweight” Rating Reiterated at Stephens

Stephens restated their overweight rating on shares of ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $175.00 price target on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

ESE has been the subject of several other reports. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 20th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 2.8 %

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $165.23 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $142.58 and a 200-day moving average of $134.57. ESCO Technologies has a one year low of $97.11 and a one year high of $171.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The company has a market cap of $4.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.79 and a beta of 1.13.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESE. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 229,601 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $13,066,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $11,435,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 87.3% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 144,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $19,187,000 after acquiring an additional 67,116 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in the 3rd 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 acquiring an additional 49,577 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.