ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $131.30 and last traded at $131.30, with a volume of 24088 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.21.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on ESE shares. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Tuesday.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 1.3 %

The stock has a market cap of $3.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.48 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $124.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $115.75.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.03). ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 8.82%. The business had revenue of $260.78 million for the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of ESCO Technologies

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 17,275 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,228,000 after purchasing an additional 2,168 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 70,387 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $9,079,000 after purchasing an additional 5,874 shares during the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 94,350 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $12,169,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 18,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $786,000. 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.