ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Wednesday morning.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on ESE. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Stephens upped their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

ESE stock opened at $133.15 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. ESCO Technologies has a 12 month low of $96.69 and a 12 month high of $154.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a PE ratio of 33.79 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $139.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.60.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.12%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 1.2% during the 2nd 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 during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 4.9% during the third 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 buying an additional 49,577 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,047,741 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $135,138,000 after buying an additional 18,676 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 3.3% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 438,536 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $56,563,000 after buying an additional 13,894 shares during the period. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 277.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 290,711 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.