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

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE ESE opened at $195.49 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $214.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $200.56. The firm has a market cap of $5.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.93 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.93. ESCO Technologies has a 1 year low of $127.17 and a 1 year high of $229.46.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by $0.19. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 25.76% and a return on equity of 12.21%. The company had revenue of $286.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $306.39 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. ESCO Technologies has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-7.800 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at ESCO Technologies

In other ESCO Technologies news, CEO Bryan H. Sayler sold 401 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $88,220.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,254 shares in the company, valued at $4,455,880. The trade was a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert J. Phillippy sold 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.53, for a total transaction of $823,361.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,450,673.07. This represents a 36.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,699 shares of company stock worth $4,778,734. 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 the company. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 15.5% in the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,866 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,366,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,973,925 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $473,211,000 after acquiring an additional 66,392 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 315,479 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $50,199,000 after acquiring an additional 9,402 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 42.8% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 23,150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,684,000 after acquiring an additional 6,942 shares during the period. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 27.3% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 55,460 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $8,825,000 after purchasing an additional 11,896 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Company Profile

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.