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

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC cut its ESCO Technologies stake by 58.6% in the first quarter, selling 8,988 shares and leaving it with 6,345 shares valued at about $1.785 million.
• ESCO Technologies reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.91 versus $1.90 expected and revenue of $309.34 million, up 33.5% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive overall: the stock has an average Buy rating and a consensus price target of $410, while the shares recently traded at $332.32.

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 58.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,345 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 8,988 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,785,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 97,963,600.0% during the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 2,938,908 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 103.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 902,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $176,429,000 after purchasing an additional 458,980 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1,204.3% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 432,050 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $91,210,000 after purchasing an additional 398,926 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 26.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 891,144 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $188,129,000 after purchasing an additional 183,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 110.9% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 186,455 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $39,363,000 after purchasing an additional 98,042 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ESE. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings raised ESCO Technologies from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a)" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on ESCO Technologies in a research report on Monday, June 15th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $420.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ESCO Technologies currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $410.00.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE:ESE opened at $332.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $8.61 billion, a PE ratio of 27.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $315.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $274.75. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $174.92 and a 1-year high of $362.15.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $309.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $307.88 million. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 24.69% and a return on equity of 12.88%. ESCO Technologies's revenue was up 33.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. 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. On average, equities analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 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 2.69%.

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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