William Blair Investment Management LLC Sells 13,831 Shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management LLC has reduced its stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. by 7.1%, selling 13,831 shares to own 179,882 shares worth approximately $34.5 million.
• Despite recent downgrades, ESCO Technologies maintains a consensus rating of "Buy" from analysts, with an average target price set at $187.50.
• ESCO Technologies reported a miss on earnings for Q2, with an EPS of $1.60 against estimates of $1.65, and detailed quarterly revenue of $296.34 million, below expectations.

William Blair Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE - Free Report) by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 179,882 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 13,831 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned 0.70% of ESCO Technologies worth $34,514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $473,211,000 after acquiring an additional 66,392 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $90,067,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.1% during the 1st 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 acquiring an additional 9,402 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 245,228 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $39,020,000 after acquiring an additional 4,276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $33,784,000. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $216.90 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a PE ratio of 48.85 and a beta of 1.23. The company's fifty day moving average is $204.45 and its 200 day moving average is $186.68. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $125.45 and a 52 week high of $220.32. 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 (NYSE:ESE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 analysts' expectations of $320.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.16 EPS. ESCO Technologies'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. Research analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd were given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies's payout ratio is presently 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.

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