ESCO Technologies (ESE) Competitors

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) and Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE) are both mid-cap industrials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, media sentiment, profitability, analyst recommendations, risk, valuation and dividends.

Does the media favor ESE or FELE?

In the previous week, Franklin Electric had 3 more articles in the media than ESCO Technologies. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Franklin Electric and 6 mentions for ESCO Technologies. ESCO Technologies' average media sentiment score of 0.78 beat Franklin Electric's score of 0.77 indicating that ESCO Technologies is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
ESCO Technologies	3 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Franklin Electric	3 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has higher valuation & earnings, ESE or FELE?

Franklin Electric has higher revenue and earnings than ESCO Technologies. Franklin Electric is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than ESCO Technologies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ESCO Technologies	$1.03B	4.72	$101.88M	$4.56	41.17
Franklin Electric	$2.02B	2.08	$180.31M	$3.82	24.08

Which has more volatility and risk, ESE or FELE?

ESCO Technologies has a beta of 1.21, indicating that its share price is 21% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Franklin Electric has a beta of 1.07, indicating that its share price is 7% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of ESE or FELE?

95.7% of ESCO Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.0% of Franklin Electric shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of ESCO Technologies shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.7% of Franklin Electric shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is ESE or FELE more profitable?

ESCO Technologies has a net margin of 11.01% compared to Franklin Electric's net margin of 8.85%. Franklin Electric's return on equity of 14.08% beat ESCO Technologies' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ESCO Technologies	11.01%	10.56%	7.20%
Franklin Electric	8.85%	14.08%	9.72%

Do analysts prefer ESE or FELE?

ESCO Technologies presently has a consensus price target of $187.50, indicating a potential downside of 0.12%. Franklin Electric has a consensus price target of $94.00, indicating a potential upside of 2.20%. Given Franklin Electric's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Franklin Electric is more favorable than ESCO Technologies.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ESCO Technologies	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Franklin Electric	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Is ESE or FELE a better dividend stock?

ESCO Technologies pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.2%. Franklin Electric pays an annual dividend of $1.06 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. ESCO Technologies pays out 7.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Franklin Electric pays out 27.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Franklin Electric has increased its dividend for 33 consecutive years. Franklin Electric is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

ESCO Technologies beats Franklin Electric on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.