Northern Trust Corp Cuts Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp reduced its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. by 0.5%, now owning approximately 1.15% of the company, valued at $47 million.
• ESCO Technologies reported earnings per share of $1.60 for the last quarter, missing the consensus estimate and showing a 13.6% increase in revenue compared to the previous year.
• The company has announced a quarterly $0.08 dividend per share, with a yield of 0.2%, set to be paid on October 16th.

Northern Trust Corp decreased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 0.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 295,868 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 1,396 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.15% of ESCO Technologies worth $47,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 2.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,973,925 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $473,211,000 after purchasing an additional 66,392 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the first quarter worth $90,067,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 152.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 380,104 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $50,634,000 after purchasing an additional 229,601 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.1% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 315,479 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $50,199,000 after purchasing an additional 9,402 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 240,952 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $32,097,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company's stock.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of ESE traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $201.27. The stock had a trading volume of 477,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,572. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.33 and a beta of 1.25. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $193.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $175.53. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.30 and a 12-month high of $205.31.

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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.05). ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 11.19%. The company had revenue of $296.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $320.23 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.16 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. ESCO Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.750-5.900 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 2.040-2.190 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESE has been the topic of several analyst reports. Benchmark raised their price objective on ESCO Technologies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies 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.