Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP Buys Shares of 168,600 ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 168,600 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,439,000. ESCO Technologies comprises approximately 1.7% of Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 842.9% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 132 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new position in ESCO Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $38,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 3,140.0% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 162 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies during the second quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on ESCO Technologies in a research report on Monday, June 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $420.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ESCO Technologies currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $410.00.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of ESE opened at $323.86 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $320.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $290.06. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $174.92 and a 12 month high of $362.15. The company has a market capitalization of $8.39 billion, a PE ratio of 27.24, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.01. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.88% and a net margin of 24.69%.The company had revenue of $309.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $307.88 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 33.5% compared to the same quarter last year. ESCO Technologies has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.150 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-8.250 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 2.69%.

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.