ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) shares hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $239.03 and last traded at $238.36, with a volume of 187731 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $233.09.

ESCO Technologies News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting ESCO Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results: Adjusted EPS of $1.64 topped the $1.32 consensus and revenue of $289.66M roughly matched estimates; sales rose ~35% year‑over‑year and GAAP/adjusted EPS showed double‑digit growth. This beat and strong margins support earnings momentum. Earnings Release / MarketBeat
• Positive Sentiment: Record orders: Q1 entered orders jumped ~143% to $557M, signaling multi‑quarter revenue visibility and backlog expansion that underpins the raised outlook. GlobeNewswire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Raised guidance: ESE lifted Q2 EPS guidance to $1.75–$1.85 (vs. ~1.69 consensus) and FY26 EPS to $7.90–$8.15 (above Street). Management’s higher targets validate the quarter’s strength and improve forward estimates. TipRanks: Raises Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call/transcripts provide color on bookings, margins and segment trends for investors doing due diligence; multiple transcripts and the slide deck are available for review. Yahoo Finance: Call Highlights Seeking Alpha Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend: ESE declared a quarterly dividend of $0.08 (ex‑date Apr 2), which is a small yield (~0.1%) — modest for income investors and not a primary driver of the move.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESE has been the topic of several research reports. CJS Securities raised ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded ESCO Technologies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Zacks Research raised ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $210.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $207.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $6.55 billion, a PE ratio of 21.93 and a beta of 1.22.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $289.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.30 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 25.76%.The company’s revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. 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. Sell-side analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 2.77%.

Insider Activity

In other ESCO Technologies news, CFO Christopher L. Tucker sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.15, for a total value of $1,100,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 20,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,429,638.15. This represents a 19.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert J. Phillippy sold 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.53, for a total value of $823,361.00. Following the sale, the director owned 6,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,450,673.07. This represents a 36.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 21,699 shares of company stock valued at $4,778,734 over the last ninety days. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ESE. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 60.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,683 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,223,000 after purchasing an additional 2,896 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,399 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $228,000. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the first quarter worth approximately $261,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 19.8% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 82,500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $13,127,000 after buying an additional 13,648 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

About ESCO Technologies

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.