GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 3.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 98,683 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 3,209 shares during the period. ESCO Technologies accounts for about 0.8% of GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. owned 0.38% of ESCO Technologies worth $18,934,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 7,589 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,456,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,221 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,308,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,047 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 1,786 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 32.2% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ESE opened at $219.55 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.67 billion, a PE ratio of 49.45 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $210.05 and a 200 day moving average of $192.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.52. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a one year low of $125.45 and a one year high of $226.34.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $296.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $320.23 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS. ESCO Technologies’s revenue 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, research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 7.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ESE. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $187.50.

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.