ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Reaches New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $188.29 and last traded at $187.80, with a volume of 127038 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $181.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on ESE shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Benchmark upped their target price on shares of ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 1.5%

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.36 and a beta of 1.22. The firm's 50 day moving average is $175.57 and its 200 day moving average is $156.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.10. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 11.01% and a return on equity of 10.56%. The business had revenue of $265.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $264.96 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.02%.

Institutional Trading of ESCO Technologies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 29,840 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,975,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $289,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 378.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 125,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $16,687,000 after acquiring an additional 3,562 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.