Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Reduces Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV reduced its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 23.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,991 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 2,415 shares during the period. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $2,248,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Horizon Investments LLC boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 59.4% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 11,821 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,309,000 after buying an additional 4,406 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 28,760 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $5,619,000 after acquiring an additional 3,674 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $1,171,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in ESCO Technologies by 59.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 86,026 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $18,161,000 after acquiring an additional 32,069 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freemont Management S.A. purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,911,000. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of ESE stock opened at $328.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $317.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $279.81. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $174.92 and a fifty-two week high of $362.15.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.01. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 24.69% and a return on equity of 12.88%. The company had revenue of $309.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $307.88 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 33.5% on a year-over-year basis. ESCO Technologies has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.150 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-8.250 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on ESE. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Monday, June 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $420.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $410.00.

ESCO Technologies 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.