Lazard Asset Management LLC Acquires 20,570 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Lazard Asset Management increased its ESCO Technologies holdings by 560% in the first quarter, acquiring 20,570 additional shares and bringing its position to 24,243 shares worth approximately $6.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 95.7% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with ESCO carrying a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $410, compared with a recent share price of $312.06.
• ESCO exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $1.91 in EPS and $309.34 million in revenue, while revenue grew 33.5% year over year. Management guided to fiscal 2026 EPS of $8.00–$8.25.

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 560.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 24,243 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 20,570 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.09% of ESCO Technologies worth $6,821,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ESE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (a)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research 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, 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $410.00.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of ESE stock opened at $312.06 on Friday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $174.92 and a twelve month high of $362.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $321.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $292.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.09.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $307.88 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.35 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 33.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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, analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd were issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is currently 2.69%.

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.

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