ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE Stake Boosted by Wasatch Advisors LP

Key Points

• Wasatch Advisors increased its ESCO Technologies stake by 65.7% in the second quarter, acquiring 189,433 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 477,687 shares, or about 1.84% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 95.7% of ESCO’s stock.
• Analysts remain broadly optimistic, with the stock carrying an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $416.50. JPMorgan initiated coverage with an “overweight” rating and a $420 target, while Deutsche Bank maintained a $413 target.
• ESCO reported quarterly EPS of $2.20, beating estimates of $2.12, while revenue rose 14.4% year over year to $339.03 million. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.30–$8.40 and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.08.

Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 65.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 477,687 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 189,433 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP owned about 1.84% of ESCO Technologies worth $167,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ESE. Quarry LP grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 842.9% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 132 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3,140.0% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 162 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ESE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Monday, June 15th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $420.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (a)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $413.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $416.50.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 1.7%

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $295.80 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.94. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $182.85 and a fifty-two week high of $362.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $324.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $297.61.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $339.03 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $341.40 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 13.28% and a net margin of 24.39%.The firm's revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.60 earnings per share. ESCO Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.300-8.400 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.34 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is currently 2.64%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ESE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source