ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE Stock Position Reduced by Dean Capital Management

Key Points

• Dean Capital Management sharply cut its ESCO Technologies stake by 86.5% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 2,939 shares worth about $574,000.
• ESCO Technologies posted solid quarterly results, with earnings of $1.91 per share, slightly above estimates, and revenue of $309.34 million, up 33.5% year over year. The company also raised guidance for Q3 2026 and FY 2026.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on ESE, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $410, while the stock recently traded near its 52-week high of $346.20.

Dean Capital Management decreased its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 86.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,939 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 18,752 shares during the quarter. Dean Capital Management's holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ESE. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in ESCO Technologies by 97,963,600.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 2,938,908 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,050,093 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $205,178,000 after acquiring an additional 158,949 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings 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 valued at $176,429,000 after acquiring an additional 458,980 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 633,821 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $123,861,000 after acquiring an additional 20,071 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 398,926 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 0.0%

ESE opened at $343.67 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.90, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.12. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $309.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $265.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.45. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $174.92 and a twelve month high of $346.20.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.01. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.88% and a net margin of 24.69%.The company had revenue of $309.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $307.88 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.35 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Monday, June 15th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $420.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a)" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned 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.

About ESCO Technologies

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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