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

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, November 15th,Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of 0.08 per share by the scientific and technical instruments company on Friday, January 17th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd.

ESCO Technologies has a payout ratio of 6.7% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect ESCO Technologies to earn $4.95 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 6.5%.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 3.0 %

ESE opened at $144.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 2.10. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $127.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.09. ESCO Technologies has a one year low of $96.69 and a one year high of $154.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.35 and a beta of 1.08.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stephens increased their target price on ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Friday.

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.