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

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 6th, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of 0.08 per share by the scientific and technical instruments company on Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd.

ESCO Technologies has a payout ratio of 4.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. 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 Trading Down 2.8 %

ESE stock opened at $155.07 on Monday. ESCO Technologies has a twelve month low of $97.11 and a twelve month high of $171.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $153.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.40 and a beta of 1.11.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share (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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ESE shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of ESCO Technologies from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

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.