KBC Group NV Has $148,000 Stock Position in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

KBC Group NV lowered its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 34.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 770 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 399 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $148,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ESE. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake 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 period. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 20,352 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,238,000 after purchasing an additional 1,528 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in ESCO Technologies by 11.3% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 94,081 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $18,051,000 after purchasing an additional 9,562 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the second quarter valued at $208,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the first quarter valued at $169,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on ESE shares. 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 restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 3.1%

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $210.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $214.67 and a 200-day moving average of $197.86. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.17 and a 52-week high of $226.34. The stock has a market cap of $5.43 billion, a PE ratio of 47.39 and a beta of 1.25.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $286.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $306.39 million. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 11.19%. The business’s revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. ESCO Technologies has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-7.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is 7.21%.

ESCO Technologies Company 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.