ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. CJS Securities raised shares of ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research upgraded ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised ESCO Technologies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 6.2%

Shares of ESCO Technologies stock opened at $253.26 on Friday. ESCO Technologies has a 1 year low of $134.78 and a 1 year high of $262.07. The company has a market cap of $6.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.55 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $211.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $208.38.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $289.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.30 million. ESCO Technologies had a return on equity of 12.96% and a net margin of 25.28%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. ESCO Technologies has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.15 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Christopher L. Tucker sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.15, for a total transaction of $1,100,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 20,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,429,638.15. This represents a 19.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bryan H. Sayler sold 401 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $88,220.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,254 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,455,880. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 21,699 shares of company stock valued at $4,778,734 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of ESCO Technologies

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESE. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 60.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,683 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,223,000 after buying an additional 2,896 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 4.5% in the first 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 during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in ESCO Technologies during the first quarter worth $228,000. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $261,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in ESCO Technologies by 19.8% during 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting ESCO Technologies

Here are the key news stories impacting ESCO Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results: Adjusted EPS of $1.64 topped the $1.32 consensus and revenue of $289.66M roughly matched estimates; sales rose ~35% year‑over‑year and GAAP/adjusted EPS showed double‑digit growth. This beat and strong margins support earnings momentum. Earnings Release / MarketBeat
• Positive Sentiment: Record orders: Q1 entered orders jumped ~143% to $557M, signaling multi‑quarter revenue visibility and backlog expansion that underpins the raised outlook. GlobeNewswire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Raised guidance: ESE lifted Q2 EPS guidance to $1.75–$1.85 (vs. ~1.69 consensus) and FY26 EPS to $7.90–$8.15 (above Street). Management’s higher targets validate the quarter’s strength and improve forward estimates. TipRanks: Raises Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call/transcripts provide color on bookings, margins and segment trends for investors doing due diligence; multiple transcripts and the slide deck are available for review. Yahoo Finance: Call Highlights Seeking Alpha Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend: ESE declared a quarterly dividend of $0.08 (ex‑date Apr 2), which is a small yield (~0.1%) — modest for income investors and not a primary driver of the move.

ESCO Technologies Company 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.