Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Has $28.67 Million Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 3.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 135,789 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 5,324 shares during the quarter. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $28,666,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 118.5% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 142 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the third quarter worth $36,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the second quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in ESCO Technologies by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 188 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

ESE stock opened at $264.03 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.47 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $134.78 and a 12-month high of $291.31. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $247.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $222.89.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.32. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.55% and a net margin of 25.28%.The firm had revenue of $289.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.30 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. ESCO Technologies has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.15 EPS. On average, analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 2.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded ESCO Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Weiss Ratings cut ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research upgraded ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, CJS Securities raised ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ESCO Technologies presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $200.00.

ESCO Technologies Profile

ESCO Technologies Inc is a diversified manufacturer of engineered products and systems designed to meet customers’ critical performance requirements in the test, measurement, control, and filtration of data, fluids, and gases. The company serves a wide range of end markets, including commercial aerospace, defense, industrial, medical, and communication network sectors. ESCO’s solutions are tailored to environments where reliability, precision and regulatory compliance are paramount.

Operating through multiple business segments, ESCO Technologies delivers test and measurement instruments such as RF and microwave components, signal distribution systems, and integrated test enclosures that support defense and aerospace programs.