Apeiron RIA LLC Makes New Investment in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Apeiron RIA LLC has acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc., purchasing 1,363 shares valued at approximately $217,000 in the first quarter.
• ESCO Technologies' stock was recently downgraded from a "buy" to a "hold" rating by Wall Street Zen, with a current price target of $187.50.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.08, which will be paid on October 16th, representing an annual yield of 0.2%.

Apeiron RIA LLC purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,363 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $217,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 2.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,973,925 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $473,211,000 after purchasing an additional 66,392 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the first quarter worth about $90,067,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 152.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 380,104 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $50,634,000 after buying an additional 229,601 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 3.1% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 315,479 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $50,199,000 after purchasing an additional 9,402 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 245,228 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $39,020,000 after buying an additional 4,276 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ESE traded down $0.34 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $207.94. 162,817 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 173,964. The company has a market cap of $5.37 billion, a PE ratio of 46.83 and a beta of 1.25. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.96 and a twelve month high of $211.25. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $194.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

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

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Company 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.