ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy”

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning.

ESE has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. CJS Securities upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, ESCO Technologies currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE:ESE opened at $268.38 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.84 and a beta of 1.22. ESCO Technologies has a one year low of $134.78 and a one year high of $291.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.33. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $218.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $211.55.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.55% and a net margin of 25.28%.The company had revenue of $289.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. ESCO Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. ESCO Technologies has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.15 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at ESCO Technologies

In related news, CFO Christopher L. Tucker sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.15, for a total value of $1,100,750.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 20,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,429,638.15. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Vinod M. Khilnani sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.99, for a total value of $653,970.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,461,819.32. This represents a 12.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 21,699 shares of company stock worth $4,778,734. Insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 844 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $165,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 9.7% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 677 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,678 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 1,675 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $327,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 366 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About ESCO Technologies

ESCO Technologies Inc is a diversified manufacturer of engineered products and systems designed to meet customers’ critical performance requirements in the test, measurement, control, and filtration of data, fluids, and gases. The company serves a wide range of end markets, including commercial aerospace, defense, industrial, medical, and communication network sectors. ESCO’s solutions are tailored to environments where reliability, precision and regulatory compliance are paramount.

Operating through multiple business segments, ESCO Technologies delivers test and measurement instruments such as RF and microwave components, signal distribution systems, and integrated test enclosures that support defense and aerospace programs.