ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE Shares Sold by Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.

Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. cut its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 12.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 29,745 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 4,100 shares during the quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of ESCO Technologies worth $6,279,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ESE. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the third quarter worth $36,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 188 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. CJS Securities upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 1.3%

ESE opened at $276.31 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $225.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $214.15. The company has a market cap of $7.16 billion, a PE ratio of 23.52 and a beta of 1.22. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $134.78 and a 1 year high of $291.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.33.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 25.28% and a return on equity of 12.55%. The firm had revenue of $289.66 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $289.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.92 earnings per share. ESCO Technologies’s revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Sell-side analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Christopher L. Tucker sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.15, for a total transaction of $1,100,750.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 20,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,429,638.15. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert J. Phillippy sold 3,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.53, for a total value of $823,361.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,450,673.07. This represents a 36.21% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 21,699 shares of company stock valued at $4,778,734. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About ESCO Technologies

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.