Horizon Investments LLC Grows Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 59.4% in Q4 to 11,821 shares worth $2.309 million, and institutional investors now own about 95.7% of the company.
• ESCO beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.64 EPS vs. $1.32 expected and revenue of $289.66M (+17.3% YoY), and set Q2 guidance of 1.75–1.85 EPS and FY 2026 guidance of 7.90–8.15 EPS (analysts forecast ~8.1 EPS; consensus "Buy" with a $300 target).
• The stock recently traded around $339.53 (near its 12‑month high of $340.81), has a market cap of $8.79 billion and a PE of 28.9, and yields about 0.1% from dividends.

Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 59.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,821 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 4,406 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC's holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $2,309,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the third quarter worth about $27,000. First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the second quarter worth about $39,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 188 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the third quarter worth about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 3.6%

Shares of NYSE ESE opened at $339.53 on Wednesday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $161.61 and a 12-month high of $340.81. The company has a market capitalization of $8.79 billion, a PE ratio of 28.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The firm's 50-day moving average is $290.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $245.03.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 25.28% and a return on equity of 12.55%. The company had revenue of $289.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. ESCO Technologies has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.15 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 2.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on ESE. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Friday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ESCO Technologies currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $300.00.

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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