ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE Holdings Reduced by Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 30.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 541,781 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 233,815 shares during the quarter. ESCO Technologies makes up approximately 3.0% of Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $152,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP raised its position 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3,140.0% during the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 162 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies during the second quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 95.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Monday, June 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $420.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised ESCO Technologies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Two research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $410.00.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $340.57 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $315.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $273.85. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $174.92 and a twelve month high of $362.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $8.82 billion, a PE ratio of 28.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.09.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.01. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 24.69% and a return on equity of 12.88%. The firm had revenue of $309.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $307.88 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.35 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 33.5% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 forecast that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. 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 (DPR) is presently 2.69%.

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.