ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP reduced its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 4.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,783 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,740 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.14% of ESCO Technologies worth $10,068,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ESE. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 842.9% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 132 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3,140.0% during the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 162 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE ESE opened at $314.85 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $8.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $322.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $292.33. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $174.92 and a 1-year high of $362.15.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.01. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 24.69% and a return on equity of 12.88%. The business had revenue of $309.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $307.88 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 2.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ESE shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday, April 17th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Monday, June 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $420.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $410.00.

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.