ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE Shares Bought by Royal Bank of Canada

Key Points

• The Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. by 1.8% in the first quarter, now owning 245,228 shares worth approximately $39 million.
• ESCO Technologies reported earnings of $1.60 per share for the last quarter, missing expectations, and has set FY 2025 guidance for earnings between 5.750-5.900 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share, set to be paid on October 16, representing a 0.2% yield.

Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 1.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 245,228 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,276 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned 0.95% of ESCO Technologies worth $39,020,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position 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 in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at $90,067,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 152.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 229,601 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 315,479 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $50,199,000 after acquiring an additional 9,402 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 297,264 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $39,599,000 after acquiring an additional 19,465 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of ESE stock traded down $2.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $208.30. 111,337 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 235,176. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $194.88 and a 200 day moving average of $177.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.95 and a 52-week high of $211.25. The company has a market cap of $5.38 billion, a PE ratio of 46.91 and a beta of 1.25.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $296.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $320.23 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 11.19% and a net margin of 10.37%.The company's revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.16 earnings per share. ESCO Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.750-5.900 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 2.040-2.190 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

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.