Champlain Investment Partners LLC Decreases Stock Holdings 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 trimmed its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 44.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm 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 approximately 2.22% of ESCO Technologies worth $91,327,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ESE. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the first quarter worth approximately $90,067,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 152.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 380,104 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $50,634,000 after purchasing an additional 229,601 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $30,882,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 18,682.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 107,247 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $17,065,000 after purchasing an additional 106,676 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 2.3% during the 1st 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 during the period. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of ESE traded down $2.44 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $201.27. The company had a trading volume of 427,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 249,136. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $5.20 billion, a PE ratio of 45.33 and a beta of 1.25. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a one year low of $113.30 and a one year high of $205.31. The company's fifty day moving average price is $192.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $175.07.

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 company had revenue of $296.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESE has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Benchmark raised their price objective 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, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $187.50.

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.