Freemont Management S.A. Takes Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Freemont Management S.A. opened a new position in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter, buying 14,900 shares worth about $2.9 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with 95.7% of ESCO Technologies stock held by institutions and hedge funds, and several other funds recently increased their stakes.
• ESCO Technologies reported solid quarterly results, topping EPS and revenue estimates, and management raised guidance for fiscal 2026 while the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share.

Freemont Management S.A. acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 14,900 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $2,911,000. Freemont Management S.A. owned 0.06% of ESCO Technologies as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Emerald Advisers LLC grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 58.8% in the third quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 141,419 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $29,855,000 after purchasing an additional 52,379 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 220.6% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 8,107 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,711,000 after acquiring an additional 5,578 shares in the last quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 87.5% in the third quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust now owns 87,419 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $18,455,000 after acquiring an additional 40,786 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 59.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 86,026 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $18,161,000 after acquiring an additional 32,069 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 34.6% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 28,965 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $6,115,000 after acquiring an additional 7,449 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ESE has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded ESCO Technologies from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a)" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $400.00.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $300.59 on Thursday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a one year low of $174.92 and a one year high of $346.20. The company has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.28, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.18. 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 business's 50 day moving average price is $294.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $249.02.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $309.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $307.88 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.35 earnings per share. The firm'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. On average, research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.19 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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