Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Sells 17,485 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH reduced its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. by 14.1%, selling 17,485 shares during the second quarter, leaving it with around 106,292 shares valued at approximately $20.4 million.
• ESCO Technologies reported earnings per share of $1.60 for the last quarter, missing forecasts by $0.05, with revenue also falling short of expectations at $296.34 million.
• The company's stock was downgraded from a "buy" to a "hold" rating by Wall Street Zen, although it still holds a consensus target price of $187.50 among analysts.

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH cut its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 14.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 106,292 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 17,485 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned about 0.41% of ESCO Technologies worth $20,394,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, ESCO Technologies has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

ESE opened at $204.06 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.96 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.57 and a 12-month high of $220.32. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $198.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $181.53.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $296.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $320.23 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 11.19% and a net margin of 10.37%.The firm's revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.16 earnings per share. ESCO Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.750-5.900 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 2.040-2.190 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is 7.21%.

ESCO Technologies Company Profile

ESCO Technologies Inc produces and supplies engineered products and systems for industrial and commercial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Aerospace & Defense, Utility Solutions Group, and RF Test & Measurement. The Aerospace & Defense segment designs and manufactures filtration products, including hydraulic filter elements and fluid control devices used in commercial aerospace applications; filter mechanisms used in micro-propulsion devices for satellites; and custom designed filters for manned aircraft and submarines.

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