StockNews.com Upgrades ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) to “Buy”

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on ESE. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark upped their price target on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE ESE traded down $0.35 on Thursday, reaching $156.55. The stock had a trading volume of 187,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 117,571. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $147.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.09. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. ESCO Technologies has a 1 year low of $97.11 and a 1 year high of $171.28. The company has a market capitalization of $4.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.75 and a beta of 1.11.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 10.44%. On average, analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,907,533 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $387,312,000 after purchasing an additional 32,306 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,054,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $135,950,000 after purchasing an additional 49,577 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.3% during the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 13,894 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 152.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 380,104 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $50,634,000 after purchasing an additional 229,601 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,077 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,773,000 after purchasing an additional 6,203 shares during the last quarter. 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.