ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $319.14 and last traded at $318.1990, with a volume of 453184 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $314.92.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ESE. Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $300.00.

ESCO Technologies Trading Down 0.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $8.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.14. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $283.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $238.81.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $289.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $289.30 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.55% and a net margin of 25.28%.ESCO Technologies’s quarterly revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. 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, equities analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.11 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2.72%.

Institutional Trading of ESCO Technologies

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $81,106,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $3,236,000. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $237,000. OP Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $10,212,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 263.3% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 6,907 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,355,000 after buying an additional 5,006 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESCO Technologies Company 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.