ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Reaches New 1-Year High at $127.01

Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $127.01 and last traded at $125.96, with a volume of 52605 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $122.71.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

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 company has a market cap of $3.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.11 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $118.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $109.32.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.40%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in 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 grew its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,372,850 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $144,204,000 after purchasing an additional 16,152 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 6.1% during the 1st 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 buying an additional 69,500 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 0.3% during the 2nd 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 buying an additional 3,146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 277.5% in the 2nd quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 395,460 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $41,539,000 after buying an additional 290,711 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Company Profile

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.