ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE Shares Purchased by SG Americas Securities LLC

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities boosted its position in ESCO by 89.1% in Q4 to 15,333 shares, owning about 0.06% of the company worth roughly $2.996 million.
• ESCO beat Q4 estimates with $1.64 EPS vs. $1.32 expected and revenue up 17.3% YoY to $289.66 million, and issued guidance of Q2 2026 EPS of 1.75–1.85 and FY2026 EPS of 7.90–8.15.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of Buy with a $275 target price, while Deutsche Bank initiated coverage with a $350 target; ratings on file include one Strong Buy, three Buy and one Hold.

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 89.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 7,226 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.06% of ESCO Technologies worth $2,996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Emerald Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 58.8% in the third quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 141,419 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $29,855,000 after purchasing an additional 52,379 shares during the last quarter. Castleark Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,771,000. Tributary Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 92.5% in the 3rd quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 311,910 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $65,847,000 after buying an additional 149,918 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 34.6% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 28,965 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $6,115,000 after buying an additional 7,449 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 59.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 86,026 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $18,161,000 after buying an additional 32,069 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ESE shares. Zacks Research upgraded ESCO Technologies to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on ESCO Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $350.00 price objective on the stock. CJS Securities raised shares of ESCO Technologies to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $275.00.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of ESE opened at $293.03 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.94, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.14. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $134.78 and a 12 month high of $296.69. The stock's 50 day moving average is $266.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $230.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.55% and a net margin of 25.28%.The business had revenue of $289.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is currently 2.72%.

ESCO Technologies 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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