ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, CJS Securities upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ESCO Technologies presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

ESE stock opened at $268.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $212.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $209.21. ESCO Technologies has a 52-week low of $134.78 and a 52-week high of $271.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.82 and a beta of 1.22.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $289.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $289.30 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Equities research analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend 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 2.72%.

Insider Activity at ESCO Technologies

In related news, Director Vinod M. Khilnani sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.99, for a total value of $653,970.00. Following the sale, the director owned 20,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,461,819.32. This trade represents a 12.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Bryan H. Sayler sold 401 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $88,220.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 20,254 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,455,880. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,699 shares of company stock worth $4,778,734. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ESE. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth $208,000. Emerald Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 58.8% in the 3rd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 141,419 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $29,855,000 after acquiring an additional 52,379 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 11.3% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 94,081 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $18,051,000 after acquiring an additional 9,562 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 72.7% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 43,307 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $8,310,000 after acquiring an additional 18,234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castleark Management LLC purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $5,771,000. 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 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.