Strs Ohio Buys New Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• Strs Ohio has acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc., purchasing 7,700 shares valued at approximately $1,225,000 in the 1st quarter of 2023.
• Wall Street Zen downgraded ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating, while the stock maintains an average rating of "Buy" with a consensus price target of $187.50.
• ESCO Technologies announced a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share, set to be paid on October 16th, representing an annualized yield of 0.1%.

Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 7,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $1,225,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. CX Institutional bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 32.2% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 64.8% during the 1st quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

ESE stock traded down $5.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $212.53. 532,007 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 247,026. 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 company has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.87 and a beta of 1.25. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $119.57 and a 52-week high of $220.32. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $197.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $179.68.

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 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $320.23 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS. The firm'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. As a group, analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 16th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. ESCO Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.21%.

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.