Ethic Inc. Purchases 2,710 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. has increased its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. by 58.9%, owning 7,312 shares valued at approximately $1.16 million at the end of the last reporting period.
• ESCO Technologies reported $1.60 earnings per share for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations, with revenue of $296.34 million compared to estimates of $320.23 million.
• The company is set to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.08 on October 16th, representing a 0.2% yield and a low payout ratio of 7.21%.

Ethic Inc. boosted its position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 58.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,312 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,710 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,160,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $90,067,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 152.6% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 106,676 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 66,392 shares during the period. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter worth $6,287,000. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Benchmark boosted their price target on ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Two equities 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 an average price target of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

ESE stock traded down $2.2260 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $193.0640. The company's stock had a trading volume of 190,745 shares, compared to its average volume of 205,062. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.30 and a 12 month high of $201.72. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $4.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.48 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average of $191.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $174.09.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released 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 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 the consensus estimate of $320.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.16 EPS. The company's quarterly 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. On average, analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is presently 7.21%.

About ESCO Technologies

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.