Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 3.1%, acquiring an additional 9,402 shares to own 315,479 shares valued at $50.2 million.
• ESCO Technologies recently reported quarterly earnings with earnings per share of $1.60, falling short of analyst estimates by $0.05, while revenue was $296.34 million against expectations of $320.23 million.
• The company has announced a $0.08 per share dividend to be paid on October 16th, representing an annualized yield of 0.2%.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 3.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 315,479 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,402 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.22% of ESCO Technologies worth $50,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. CX Institutional purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 32.2% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 627.1% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on ESE. Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, ESCO Technologies presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE ESE traded down $0.4770 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $190.0230. 217,215 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 195,153. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $4.91 billion, a PE ratio of 42.80 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $190.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $172.85. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.30 and a 12 month high of $201.72.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.05). ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 11.19%. The company had revenue of $296.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $320.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.16 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. ESCO Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.750-5.900 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 2.040-2.190 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 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.