ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 7.900-8.15 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 7.690. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.3 billion-$1.3 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.3 billion. ESCO Technologies also updated its Q2 2026 guidance to 1.750-1.850 EPS.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 1.8%

NYSE:ESE traded up $4.10 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $238.15. The stock had a trading volume of 238,963 shares, compared to its average volume of 173,656. ESCO Technologies has a one year low of $130.15 and a one year high of $241.38. The company has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.62 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $210.38 and a 200 day moving average of $207.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its earnings results 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 12.21% and a net margin of 25.76%.During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Vinod M. Khilnani sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.99, for a total transaction of $653,970.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,468 shares in the company, valued at $4,461,819.32. This represents a 12.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert J. Phillippy sold 3,700 shares of ESCO Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.53, for a total transaction of $823,361.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,450,673.07. This trade 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 worth $4,778,734 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about ESCO Technologies

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and strong margins — ESCO reported adjusted EPS of $1.64 vs. street $1.31 and showed a healthy net margin (~25.8%) and ROE (~12.2%), signaling solid profitability. MarketBeat Earnings Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY 2026 EPS guidance — Management set FY 2026 EPS at $7.90–$8.15, above the consensus of $7.69, improving forward earnings visibility. GlobeNewswire Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Raised Q2 guidance — Q2 EPS guide of $1.75–$1.85 tops the $1.69 consensus, suggesting continued near-term momentum. GlobeNewswire Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Top-line and backlog strength — Q1 sales rose 35% to $290M and entered orders jumped ~143% to $557M, supporting future revenue visibility and the higher guidance. GlobeNewswire Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue guidance largely in line with consensus — management’s revenue outlook (about $1.3B) essentially matches expectations, so upside is mainly from margin/earnings rather than top-line surprise. GlobeNewswire Press Release

Institutional Trading of ESCO Technologies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1,204.3% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 432,050 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $91,210,000 after buying an additional 398,926 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 26.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 891,144 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $188,129,000 after acquiring an additional 183,900 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in ESCO Technologies by 110.9% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 186,455 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $39,363,000 after acquiring an additional 98,042 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2,113.4% in the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 75,255 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $15,887,000 after purchasing an additional 71,855 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 21.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 369,218 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $77,946,000 after purchasing an additional 64,947 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

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.