ESCO Technologies’ (ESE) Buy Rating Reiterated at Benchmark

Benchmark reiterated their buy rating on shares of ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) in a report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $150.00 price objective on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Separately, Stephens boosted their price target on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 3.1 %

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $144.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 2.10. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $127.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $117.48. The company has a market cap of $3.72 billion, a PE ratio of 36.62 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.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.22%. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is 8.12%.

Institutional Trading of ESCO Technologies

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 20.9% in the third 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 last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 2,827 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 5.3% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,222 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $759,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 43.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 469 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

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.