James Investment Research Inc. Purchases Shares of 2,993 ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

James Investment Research Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 2,993 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $842,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 3,397 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $664,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 844 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 9.7% during the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 677 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,678 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 3,774 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded ESCO Technologies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on ESCO Technologies in a research note on Monday, June 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $420.00 price target for the company. Two equities research 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.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $410.00.

ESCO Technologies Price Performance

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $332.32 on Friday. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52-week low of $174.92 and a 52-week high of $362.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $315.49 and a 200-day moving average of $274.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.95, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 24.69% and a return on equity of 12.88%. The business had revenue of $309.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $307.88 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.35 EPS. The business’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. As a group, analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

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.