Emerald Advisers LLC Sells 4,026 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Emerald Advisers LLC trimmed its ESCO Technologies stake by 2.4% in the first quarter, selling 4,026 shares and leaving it with 162,653 shares worth about $45.8 million.
• Several analysts remain positive on ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE), with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $410; JPMorgan started coverage with an overweight rating and a $420 target.
• The company posted solid recent results, reporting Q2 EPS of $1.91 on revenue of $309.34 million, beating estimates slightly, and it raised guidance for FY 2026 EPS to $8.00-$8.25.

Emerald Advisers LLC lowered its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 162,653 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 4,026 shares during the period. ESCO Technologies accounts for about 1.4% of Emerald Advisers LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Emerald Advisers LLC owned 0.63% of ESCO Technologies worth $45,766,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 842.9% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 132 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3,140.0% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 162 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the second quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded ESCO Technologies from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on ESCO Technologies in a research report on Monday, June 15th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $420.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Friday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $410.00.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE ESE opened at $320.84 on Tuesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $174.92 and a 52-week high of $362.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.45. The company has a market capitalization of $8.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day moving average of $317.43 and a 200-day moving average of $281.20.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.01. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 24.69% and a return on equity of 12.88%. The company had revenue of $309.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $307.88 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 33.5% compared to the same quarter last year. ESCO Technologies has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.150 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-8.250 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 2.69%.

ESCO Technologies Company Profile

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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