ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $187.50.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ESE shares. CJS Securities raised shares of ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded ESCO Technologies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th.

Insider Activity at ESCO Technologies

In other ESCO Technologies news, CFO Christopher L. Tucker sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.15, for a total transaction of $1,100,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 20,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,429,638.15. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bryan H. Sayler sold 9,382 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $2,064,040.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,544,100. This represents a 31.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,699 shares of company stock valued at $4,778,734. Insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 97,963,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,938,911 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $574,234,000 after purchasing an additional 2,938,908 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 26.0% during 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 raised its holdings in 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 valued at $169,413,000 after buying an additional 49,173 shares during the period. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $93,728,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ESCO Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and strong margins — ESCO reported adjusted EPS of $1.64 vs. street $1.31 and showed a healthy net margin (~25.8%) and ROE (~12.2%), signaling solid profitability. MarketBeat Earnings Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY 2026 EPS guidance — Management set FY 2026 EPS at $7.90–$8.15, above the consensus of $7.69, improving forward earnings visibility. GlobeNewswire Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Raised Q2 guidance — Q2 EPS guide of $1.75–$1.85 tops the $1.69 consensus, suggesting continued near-term momentum. GlobeNewswire Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Top-line and backlog strength — Q1 sales rose 35% to $290M and entered orders jumped ~143% to $557M, supporting future revenue visibility and the higher guidance. GlobeNewswire Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue guidance largely in line with consensus — management’s revenue outlook (about $1.3B) essentially matches expectations, so upside is mainly from margin/earnings rather than top-line surprise. GlobeNewswire Press Release

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $238.15 on Friday. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $210.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $207.96. The stock has a market cap of $6.16 billion, a PE ratio of 20.62 and a beta of 1.22. ESCO Technologies has a one year low of $130.15 and a one year high of $241.38.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $289.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.30 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 25.76%.The business’s revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. 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. On average, analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is 2.77%.

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.