ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Stock Rated “Buy” by Wall Street Brokerages

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) has received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $381.50.

ESE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $413.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of ESCO Technologies from $420.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE ESE opened at $249.26 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. ESCO Technologies has a twelve month low of $193.68 and a twelve month high of $362.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.46 billion, a PE ratio of 20.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $272.89 and its 200 day moving average is $300.74.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $339.03 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $341.40 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 13.28% and a net margin of 24.39%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.60 earnings per share. ESCO Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.300-8.400 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. Research analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st were issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 1st. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 2.64%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies in the second quarter worth about $1,433,229,000. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 65.7% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 477,687 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $167,210,000 after buying an additional 189,433 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $61,365,000. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the first quarter valued at approximately $47,439,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 154,257 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $30,140,000 after buying an additional 3,939 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Company Profile

ESCO Technologies Inc is a diversified manufacturer headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, serving customers in the aerospace, defense, space, utility, telecommunications, and industrial markets. The company develops and manufactures specialized products and systems used in testing, monitoring, communications, power delivery, and environmental control.

ESCO’s aerospace and defense businesses provide filtration, fluid-control, thermal-management, and other engineered products for aircraft, spacecraft, military vehicles, and industrial applications.