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

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 6th,RTT News reports. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd.

ESCO Technologies has a payout ratio of 5.7% 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 Performance

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $158.73 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.29 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $135.81 and a 200 day moving average of $129.61. ESCO Technologies has a 12 month low of $96.69 and a 12 month high of $162.74.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.34. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 9.09%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 20th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday, November 15th.

About ESCO Technologies

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.