Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC Reduces Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Conestoga Capital Advisors trimmed its stake in ESCO Technologies by 11.2% in Q4 to 775,596 shares — about a 3.0% ownership stake worth roughly $151.5 million — and ESCO is Conestoga’s 15th-largest holding (2.6% of its portfolio).
• Strong quarterly results and guidance: ESCO beat Q4 EPS estimates ($1.64 vs. $1.32) with revenue up 17.3% YoY to $289.7M, and issued Q2 2026 guidance of $1.75–1.85 EPS and FY2026 guidance of $7.90–8.15 EPS (analysts expect ~8.1 EPS).
• Market and analyst context: the stock trades near $324 (52-week range $155.30–$325.54) with a $8.39B market cap and PE ~27.6, institutional ownership ~95.7%, a tiny 0.1% dividend yield, and a consensus analyst target around $300 (majority "Buy" ratings).

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 775,596 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 97,623 shares during the period. ESCO Technologies makes up 2.6% of Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC owned about 3.00% of ESCO Technologies worth $151,544,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 118.5% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 142 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 188 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of ESE opened at $323.98 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $289.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $243.71. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $155.30 and a fifty-two week high of $325.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.39 billion, a PE ratio of 27.57, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.33.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $289.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $289.30 million. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 25.28% and a return on equity of 12.55%. ESCO Technologies's revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. ESCO Technologies has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.15 EPS. Equities analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is 2.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on ESE. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, February 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ESCO Technologies presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $300.00.

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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