ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest rose 16.5% in April to 429,479 shares (about 1.7% of shares short) with a short-interest ratio of 1.3 days based on average volume.
• Q1 earnings topped estimates as ESCO reported $1.64 EPS vs. $1.32 expected and revenue up 17.3% year-over-year, and the company issued Q2 2026 guidance of 1.75–1.85 EPS and FY2026 guidance of 7.90–8.15 EPS.
• Analyst sentiment is positive: the stock has a consensus "Buy" rating with a $300 target, while Deutsche Bank reiterated a "Buy" with a $400 price objective; the company trades at a P/E of 26.5 and market cap of $8.06 billion.

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 429,479 shares, an increase of 16.5% from the March 31st total of 368,530 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 342,065 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days. Currently, 1.7% of the company's shares are short sold.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $311.34 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.50, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.14. ESCO Technologies has a 12 month low of $152.92 and a 12 month high of $325.54. The firm's 50-day moving average is $288.45 and its 200 day moving average is $243.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 25.28% and a return on equity of 12.55%. The business had revenue of $289.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.30 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of ESCO Technologies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 842.9% during 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 period. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 118.5% during 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 in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position 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 buying an additional 157 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen cut ESCO Technologies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded ESCO Technologies from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $300.00.

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.

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