ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) Lowered to “Buy” Rating by Wall Street Zen

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on ESE. CJS Securities upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.50.

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:ESE opened at $268.38 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The business’s 50 day moving average is $218.46 and its 200 day moving average is $211.43. ESCO Technologies has a 12-month low of $134.78 and a 12-month high of $291.31. The stock has a market cap of $6.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.84 and a beta of 1.22.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.32. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 25.28% and a return on equity of 12.55%. The firm had revenue of $289.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $289.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that ESCO Technologies will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at ESCO Technologies

In other ESCO Technologies news, Director Robert J. Phillippy sold 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.53, for a total transaction of $823,361.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,450,673.07. This trade represents a 36.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bryan H. Sayler sold 9,382 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $2,064,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,655 shares in the company, valued at $4,544,100. This trade represents a 31.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 21,699 shares of company stock worth $4,778,734 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of ESCO Technologies

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Emerald Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 58.8% during the 3rd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 141,419 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $29,855,000 after purchasing an additional 52,379 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in ESCO Technologies by 11.3% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 94,081 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $18,051,000 after buying an additional 9,562 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in ESCO Technologies by 72.7% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 43,307 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $8,310,000 after purchasing an additional 18,234 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 220.6% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 8,107 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,711,000 after acquiring an additional 5,578 shares in the last quarter. Finally, F m Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 12.2% in the second quarter. F m Investments LLC now owns 33,531 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $6,434,000 after purchasing an additional 3,643 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

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.