Martingale Asset Management L P Grows Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Martingale Asset Management has increased its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. by 91.5%, acquiring 3,206 additional shares during the first quarter, bringing their total holdings to 6,711 shares valued at approximately $1,068,000.
• ESCO Technologies reported a quarterly EPS of $1.60, which fell short of analysts' expectations of $1.65, despite a revenue increase of 13.6% year-over-year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.08, set to be paid on October 16th, with a 0.2% yield and a payout ratio of 7.21%.

Martingale Asset Management L P lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 91.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 3,206 shares during the quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P's holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $1,068,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $90,067,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 152.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 380,104 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $50,634,000 after purchasing an additional 229,601 shares during the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,882,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 18,682.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 107,247 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $17,065,000 after purchasing an additional 106,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,973,925 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $473,211,000 after purchasing an additional 66,392 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE traded down $1.55 during trading on Friday, hitting $202.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 56,226 shares, compared to its average volume of 169,827. The company has a 50-day moving average of $192.12 and a 200-day moving average of $174.68. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.30 and a 12 month high of $205.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $5.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.56 and a beta of 1.23.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.05). ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 11.19% and a net margin of 10.37%.The business had revenue of $296.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $320.23 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.16 EPS. ESCO Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on ESE shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, ESCO Technologies presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $187.50.

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.