StockNews.com Downgrades ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) to Hold

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

ESE has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Benchmark boosted their target price on ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESE opened at $158.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $150.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.31 and a beta of 1.11. ESCO Technologies has a 52 week low of $97.11 and a 52 week high of $171.28.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 152.6% in the fourth 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 period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $13,066,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $11,435,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 87.3% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 144,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $19,187,000 after purchasing an additional 67,116 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.9% in the third 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 period. Hedge funds and other 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.