ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $187.50.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. CJS Securities upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (a)” rating on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESE stock opened at $200.19 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company has a market capitalization of $5.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33 and a beta of 1.22. ESCO Technologies has a one year low of $127.17 and a one year high of $229.46. The company’s 50-day moving average is $212.39 and its 200 day moving average is $202.31.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.13 by $0.19. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 25.76%.The company had revenue of $286.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $306.39 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. ESCO Technologies’s revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts expect that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other ESCO Technologies news, CEO Bryan H. Sayler sold 401 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $88,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,254 shares in the company, valued at $4,455,880. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert J. Phillippy sold 3,700 shares of ESCO Technologies 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 sale, the director owned 6,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,450,673.07. The trade was a 36.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 21,699 shares of company stock worth $4,778,734. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 183,900 shares in the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 5.9% in the second quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 882,959 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $169,413,000 after purchasing an additional 49,173 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $93,728,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 1,204.3% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 21.3% during the 3rd 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 buying an additional 64,947 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.