30,080 Shares in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE Acquired by Castleark Management LLC

Castleark Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 30,080 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,771,000. Castleark Management LLC owned about 0.12% of ESCO Technologies as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geneva Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 882,959 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $169,413,000 after buying an additional 49,173 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in ESCO Technologies by 345.8% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 707,244 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $135,699,000 after acquiring an additional 548,600 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in ESCO Technologies by 3.1% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 315,479 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $50,199,000 after acquiring an additional 9,402 shares during the last quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 60.1% in the second quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 303,651 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $58,262,000 after purchasing an additional 113,940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 245,228 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $39,020,000 after purchasing an additional 4,276 shares during the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (a)” rating on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Wall Street Zen raised ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.50.

Insider Activity at ESCO Technologies

In related news, Director Vinod M. Khilnani sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.99, for a total value of $653,970.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 20,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,461,819.32. The trade was a 12.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Bryan H. Sayler sold 9,382 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $2,064,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,544,100. This trade represents a 31.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 21,699 shares of company stock worth $4,778,734. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE ESE opened at $204.11 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $5.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.67 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.35. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.17 and a 1 year high of $229.46. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $213.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $201.49.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $286.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $306.39 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 25.76%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. ESCO Technologies has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-7.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. ESCO Technologies’s payout ratio is 2.77%.

About ESCO Technologies

ESCO Technologies Inc produces and supplies engineered products and systems for industrial and commercial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Aerospace & Defense, Utility Solutions Group, and RF Test & Measurement. The Aerospace & Defense segment designs and manufactures filtration products, including hydraulic filter elements and fluid control devices used in commercial aerospace applications; filter mechanisms used in micro-propulsion devices for satellites; and custom designed filters for manned aircraft and submarines.