ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE Stake Cut by Dean Capital Management

Key Points

• Dean Capital Management reduced its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. by 23.4%, owning 17,450 shares, and making it the fund's 9th largest position.
• ESCO Technologies reported $1.60 EPS for the last quarter, missing estimates, and set FY 2025 guidance between 5.750-5.900 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.08, with an annualized yield of 0.2%, set to be paid on October 16th.

Dean Capital Management cut its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 23.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,450 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 5,337 shares during the quarter. ESCO Technologies accounts for 1.2% of Dean Capital Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Dean Capital Management owned approximately 0.07% of ESCO Technologies worth $2,777,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $261,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $228,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,399 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 60.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,683 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,223,000 after purchasing an additional 2,896 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 205.8% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,355 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,284,000 after purchasing an additional 9,661 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE ESE traded down $2.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $208.30. The company had a trading volume of 111,337 shares, compared to its average volume of 229,248. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $194.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.96. The stock has a market cap of $5.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.91 and a beta of 1.25. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.95 and a 52-week high of $211.25.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $296.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $320.23 million. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 11.19%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business 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. Sell-side analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target 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.