ESCO Technologies’ (ESE) Overweight Rating Reaffirmed at Stephens

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Stephens in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $175.00 target price on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Stephens’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 7.30% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. StockNews.com upgraded ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 20th. Benchmark lifted their target price on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock traded up $0.87 on Thursday, hitting $163.10. The stock had a trading volume of 16,163 shares, compared to its average volume of 115,690. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $141.44 and a 200 day moving average of $134.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04. ESCO Technologies has a twelve month low of $97.11 and a twelve month high of $171.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.31 and a beta of 1.13.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of ESCO Technologies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 747.1% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 150.0% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 305 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 411 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 627.1% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. 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.