ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $357.00 and last traded at $343.7230, with a volume of 8358 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $343.50.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on ESCO Technologies in a research report on Monday, June 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $420.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded ESCO Technologies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $410.00.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 0.9%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $309.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $265.64. The firm has a market cap of $8.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.11, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.12.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.01. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.88% and a net margin of 24.69%.The firm had revenue of $309.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $307.88 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. ESCO Technologies’s quarterly revenue was up 33.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.69%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 842.9% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 132 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3,140.0% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 162 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the second quarter worth about $39,000. 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.