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

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. CJS Securities upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 6.2%

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $253.26 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $211.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $208.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market cap of $6.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.55 and a beta of 1.22. ESCO Technologies has a 12 month low of $134.78 and a 12 month high of $262.07.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $289.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $289.30 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.96% and a net margin of 25.28%.ESCO Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other ESCO Technologies news, Director Robert J. Phillippy sold 3,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 6,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,450,673.07. This represents a 36.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Bryan H. Sayler sold 401 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $88,220.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,699 shares of company stock worth $4,778,734. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 97,963,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,938,911 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $574,234,000 after purchasing an additional 2,938,908 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 345.8% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 707,244 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $135,699,000 after purchasing an additional 548,600 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the third quarter valued at $93,728,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1,204.3% in 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, Tributary Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 92.5% in the third quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 311,910 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $65,847,000 after buying an additional 149,918 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about ESCO Technologies

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results: Adjusted EPS of $1.64 topped the $1.32 consensus and revenue of $289.66M roughly matched estimates; sales rose ~35% year‑over‑year and GAAP/adjusted EPS showed double‑digit growth. This beat and strong margins support earnings momentum. Earnings Release / MarketBeat
• Positive Sentiment: Record orders: Q1 entered orders jumped ~143% to $557M, signaling multi‑quarter revenue visibility and backlog expansion that underpins the raised outlook. GlobeNewswire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Raised guidance: ESE lifted Q2 EPS guidance to $1.75–$1.85 (vs. ~1.69 consensus) and FY26 EPS to $7.90–$8.15 (above Street). Management’s higher targets validate the quarter’s strength and improve forward estimates. TipRanks: Raises Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call/transcripts provide color on bookings, margins and segment trends for investors doing due diligence; multiple transcripts and the slide deck are available for review. Yahoo Finance: Call Highlights Seeking Alpha Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend: ESE declared a quarterly dividend of $0.08 (ex‑date Apr 2), which is a small yield (~0.1%) — modest for income investors and not a primary driver of the move.

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.