Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Cuts Holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lessened its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 10.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,720 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 4,447 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.15% of ESCO Technologies worth $8,385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 38.6% in the third quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 4,187 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $876,000 after buying an additional 1,167 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its position in ESCO Technologies by 33.2% during the third quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 3,160 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $667,000 after buying an additional 788 shares in the last quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies during the third quarter worth approximately $245,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the third quarter worth $42,000. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ESE. Zacks Research raised shares of ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. CJS Securities upgraded ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE ESE opened at $220.28 on Monday. 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 $128.59 and a 1 year high of $229.46. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $207.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $205.87. The firm has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07 and a beta of 1.23.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by $0.19. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 25.76%.The firm had revenue of $286.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $306.39 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. ESCO Technologies’s quarterly revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.77%.

Insider Activity at ESCO Technologies

In other ESCO Technologies news, CEO Bryan H. Sayler sold 9,382 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $4,544,100. This represents a 31.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Vinod M. Khilnani sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.99, for a total transaction of $653,970.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 20,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,461,819.32. The trade was a 12.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,699 shares of company stock valued at $4,778,734. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.