Comerica Bank Purchases 3,116 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Comerica Bank increased its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. by 3.6% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 3,116 shares, bringing its total to 90,467 shares valued at approximately $14.4 million.
• ESCO Technologies reported earnings of $1.60 EPS, falling short of analyst expectations, and had revenue of $296.34 million, which was below the consensus estimate of $320.23 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share, with an ex-dividend date of October 2nd, yielding approximately 0.2% annualized.

Comerica Bank lifted its position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 3.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 90,467 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 3,116 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank owned about 0.35% of ESCO Technologies worth $14,395,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ESE. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $90,067,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 152.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 380,104 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $50,634,000 after buying an additional 229,601 shares in the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,882,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 18,682.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 107,247 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $17,065,000 after buying an additional 106,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,973,925 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $473,211,000 after buying an additional 66,392 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock traded down $2.44 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $201.27. The company had a trading volume of 427,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 235,843. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $192.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.00. The stock has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a PE ratio of 45.33 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.04. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.30 and a 1-year high of $205.31.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 11.19% and a net margin of 10.37%.The company had revenue of $296.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $320.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.16 EPS. The company's revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Benchmark boosted their price target on ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen cut ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $187.50.

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.