ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Cut to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Sunday morning.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on ESE. Zacks Research upgraded ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, CJS Securities raised shares of ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, ESCO Technologies currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $265.97 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a PE ratio of 22.64 and a beta of 1.22. ESCO Technologies has a 12-month low of $134.78 and a 12-month high of $291.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $221.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $212.60.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $289.66 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $289.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior 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, equities research analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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 dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.99, for a total value of $653,970.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,461,819.32. This trade represents a 12.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Bryan H. Sayler sold 9,382 shares of ESCO Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $2,064,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,655 shares in the company, valued at $4,544,100. This represents a 31.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 21,699 shares of company stock worth $4,778,734 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 842.9% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 132 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 118.5% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 142 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the third quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.