Apeiron RIA LLC Invests $217,000 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 shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,363 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $217,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 315,479 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $50,199,000 after acquiring an additional 9,402 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,047 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 11,617 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,848,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 18.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 674 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

ESE stock traded up $2.18 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $212.55. 47,448 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 173,273. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a PE ratio of 47.90 and a beta of 1.25. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $119.57 and a 52 week high of $212.93. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $195.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $178.48.

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

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 16th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is currently 7.21%.

About ESCO Technologies

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.