ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE Shares Sold by Castleark Management LLC

Castleark Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 51.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,852 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 18,810 shares during the quarter. Castleark Management LLC owned approximately 0.07% of ESCO Technologies worth $5,023,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 97,963,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,938,911 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $574,234,000 after purchasing an additional 2,938,908 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 103.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 902,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $176,429,000 after buying an additional 458,980 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1,204.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 432,050 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $91,210,000 after buying an additional 398,926 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at $81,106,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 26.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 891,144 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $188,129,000 after buying an additional 183,900 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $323.86 on Tuesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $174.92 and a 1 year 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 $8.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.24, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.09. The company's fifty day moving average is $320.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $290.06.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.01. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 24.69% and a return on equity of 12.88%. The business had revenue of $309.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $307.88 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. The business's 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. Analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd were given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 2nd. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is 2.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on ESE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Monday, June 15th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $420.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (a)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $410.00.

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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