Castleark Management LLC Buys New Stake in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Castleark Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 31,572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,051,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 60.5% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,683 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,223,000 after buying an additional 2,896 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,399 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,450,000 after acquiring an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $228,000. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $261,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 19.8% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 82,500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $13,127,000 after purchasing an additional 13,648 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $277.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a PE ratio of 22.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.10. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $192.05 and a twelve month high of $362.15. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $321.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $302.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.08. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 13.28% and a net margin of 24.39%.The company had revenue of $339.03 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $341.40 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.60 EPS. ESCO Technologies’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. ESCO Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.300-8.400 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st 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 is Thursday, October 1st. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 2.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on ESCO Technologies in a research report on Monday, June 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $420.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $413.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $416.50.

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.