ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE is Tributary Capital Management LLC’s 2nd Largest Position

Tributary Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 92.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 311,910 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 149,918 shares during the quarter. ESCO Technologies makes up 3.1% of Tributary Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Tributary Capital Management LLC owned about 1.21% of ESCO Technologies worth $65,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ESE. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 118.5% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 142 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies during the second quarter worth $39,000. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies during the second quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies during the third quarter valued at $47,000. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

ESCO Technologies Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE ESE opened at $206.84 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $208.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $203.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market cap of $5.35 billion, a PE ratio of 17.91 and a beta of 1.23. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.17 and a 52 week high of $229.46.

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

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on ESE shares. CJS Securities raised shares of ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded ESCO Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of ESCO Technologies in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.50.

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.