Champlain Investment Partners LLC Lowers Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Champlain Investment Partners LLC reduced its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. by 44.3%, selling 456,223 shares and leaving them with 573,949 shares worth approximately $91.3 million.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share, which will be paid on October 16th, with an ex-dividend date of October 2nd, reflecting a 0.2% annual yield.
• Despite missing earnings estimates, ESCO Technologies reported a 13.6% year-over-year increase in revenue, with guidance set for FY 2025 at 5.750-5.900 EPS.

Champlain Investment Partners LLC reduced its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 44.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 573,949 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 456,223 shares during the quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC owned about 2.22% of ESCO Technologies worth $91,327,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ESE. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $352,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $1,117,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 91.8% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 33,783 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $4,500,000 after purchasing an additional 16,170 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 15,613 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,080,000 after buying an additional 668 shares during the period. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 13,531 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,802,000 after buying an additional 1,392 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESE has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Benchmark raised their price target on ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, ESCO Technologies currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

NYSE ESE traded down $2.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $201.27. 427,618 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 235,843. 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 firm's 50-day moving average is $192.52 and its 200-day moving average is $175.00. The company has a market capitalization of $5.20 billion, a PE ratio of 45.33 and a beta of 1.23. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.30 and a 52-week high of $205.31.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $296.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $320.23 million. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 11.19%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company 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. Equities analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.21%.

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.