Advisors Asset Management Inc. Grows Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. by 205.8% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 9,661 shares and now owning a total of 14,355 shares valued at approximately $2.28 million.
• ESCO Technologies' recent quarterly earnings report indicated earnings per share (EPS) of $1.60, missing analysts' expectations, with revenue of $296.34 million compared to an estimate of $320.23 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share, with the dividend set to be paid on October 16th, representing an annual yield of 0.2%.

Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 205.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,355 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,661 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of ESCO Technologies worth $2,284,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. CX Institutional bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 1st quarter worth $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the first quarter valued at $38,000. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 32.2% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 64.8% during the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE traded down $2.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $208.30. 111,337 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 235,176. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.95 and a 52-week high of $211.25. The company has a market cap of $5.38 billion, a PE ratio of 46.91 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $194.88 and a 200 day moving average of $177.73.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.05). ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 11.19%. The firm had revenue of $296.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $320.23 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.16 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. ESCO Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.750-5.900 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 2.040-2.190 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is presently 7.21%.

ESCO Technologies Profile

ESCO Technologies Inc produces and supplies engineered products and systems for industrial and commercial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Aerospace & Defense, Utility Solutions Group, and RF Test & Measurement. The Aerospace & Defense segment designs and manufactures filtration products, including hydraulic filter elements and fluid control devices used in commercial aerospace applications; filter mechanisms used in micro-propulsion devices for satellites; and custom designed filters for manned aircraft and submarines.