Bessemer Group Inc. Purchases 11,163 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 17.3% in Q1, buying 11,163 more shares and bringing its total holding to 75,813 shares valued at about $21.3 million.
• Analysts remain generally positive on ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE), with an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $410; JPMorgan recently initiated coverage with an “overweight” rating and a $420 target.
• The company reported strong Q2 results, topping EPS estimates and posting 33.5% year-over-year revenue growth, while also issuing FY 2026 guidance of $8.00 to $8.25 EPS and paying a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share.

Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 17.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,813 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,163 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.29% of ESCO Technologies worth $21,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 842.9% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 132 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3,140.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESE has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised ESCO Technologies from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on ESCO Technologies in a research report on Monday, June 15th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $420.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $410.00.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $317.76 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $317.08 and its 200 day moving average is $284.04. The stock has a market cap of $8.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.09. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $174.92 and a 52-week high of $362.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.01. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.88% and a net margin of 24.69%.The business had revenue of $309.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $307.88 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.35 EPS. ESCO Technologies's 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. Sell-side analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 2.69%.

About ESCO Technologies

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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