ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $291.35 and last traded at $291.0260, with a volume of 52418 shares. The stock had previously closed at $281.37.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. CJS Securities upgraded ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research upgraded ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $350.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. One research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $275.00.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.0%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The business’s 50-day moving average is $264.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $229.77. The firm has a market cap of $7.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.14.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $289.66 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $289.30 million. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 25.28% and a return on equity of 12.55%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $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, analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 842.9% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 132 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 118.5% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 142 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 3,140.0% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 162 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Corp bought a new position in ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

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.