Insider Selling: ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Director Sells 3,000 Shares of Stock

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Director Vinod Khilnani sold 3,000 shares of the business’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 transaction of $653,970.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,461,819.32. The trade was a 12.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 2.0%

ESE stock traded down $4.44 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $212.99. 281,226 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 178,023. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.50 billion, a PE ratio of 47.97 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $215.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $199.35. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.17 and a 52-week high of $229.46.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.13 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $286.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $306.39 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 11.19% and a net margin of 10.37%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. ESCO Technologies has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-7.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 2.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on ESE shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $187.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 118.5% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 142 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake 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 buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the second quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

About ESCO Technologies

ESCO Technologies Inc produces and supplies engineered products and systems for industrial and commercial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Aerospace & Defense, Utility Solutions Group, and RF Test & Measurement. The Aerospace & Defense segment designs and manufactures filtration products, including hydraulic filter elements and fluid control devices used in commercial aerospace applications; filter mechanisms used in micro-propulsion devices for satellites; and custom designed filters for manned aircraft and submarines.