Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP Purchases New Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 168,600 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,439,000. ESCO Technologies accounts for approximately 1.7% of Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP owned 0.65% of ESCO Technologies as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 3,397 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $664,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $132,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,678 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $354,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its position in ESCO Technologies by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 3,774 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $327,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

ESE opened at $323.86 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.45. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $174.92 and a 52-week high of $362.15. The firm has a market cap of $8.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s fifty day moving average is $320.83 and its 200-day moving average is $290.06.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.01. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.88% and a net margin of 24.69%.The business had revenue of $309.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $307.88 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.35 earnings per share. ESCO Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.5% compared to the same quarter last year. ESCO Technologies has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.150 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-8.250 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd were given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 2.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ESE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Monday, June 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $420.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings raised ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $410.00.

ESCO Technologies Profile

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.