ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Announces $0.08 Quarterly Dividend

Key Points

• ESCO Technologies Inc. announced a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share, to be paid on October 16th to shareholders of record as of October 2nd, reflecting an annual yield of 0.2%.
• The company's latest earnings report indicated a missed EPS estimate of $1.65, achieving only $1.60, while revenue was $296.34 million, below the estimated $320.23 million.
• Brokerage ratings have varied, with Wall Street Zen downgrading ESCO Technologies from a "buy" to a "hold," while Benchmark increased its target price from $190.00 to $200.00, maintaining a "buy" rating.

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, August 11th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a dividend of 0.08 per share by the scientific and technical instruments company on Thursday, October 16th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd.

ESCO Technologies has a payout ratio of 4.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect ESCO Technologies to earn $5.64 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.32 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 5.7%.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock traded down $1.42 on Monday, reaching $191.85. The stock had a trading volume of 56,514 shares, compared to its average volume of 162,963. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. ESCO Technologies has a 1 year low of $113.30 and a 1 year high of $198.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.21 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $189.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.71.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.05). ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 11.19% and a net margin of 10.37%. The company had revenue of $296.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $320.23 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.16 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ESE. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Benchmark boosted their target price on ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th.

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.

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