ESCO TechnologiesESE +1.00%82 Piotroski F-Score is 4 as of Jun. 25, 2026, which is 33% below its 10-year median of 6.00. GuruFocus rates ESE with a GF Score™ of 82/100 and a GF Value™ of $186.16 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Among 2,425 Hardware companies, ESCO Technologies ranks worse than 62.31% on this metric.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
ESCO Technologies has an F-score of 4 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for ESCO Technologies's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
ESE'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 4 Med: 6 Max: 9
Current: 4
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of ESCO Technologies was 9. The lowest was 4. And the median was 6.
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
ESCO Technologies Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
ESCO Technologies Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for ESCO Technologies's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
ESE vs ST, NOVT, CGNX: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Scientific & Technical Instruments subindustry, ESCO Technologies's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
ESCO Technologies Piotroski F-Score vs Hardware Industry
For the Hardware industry and Technology sector, ESCO Technologies's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where ESCO Technologies's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
ESCO Technologies's current Net Income (TTM) was 308.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
ESCO Technologies's return on assets of this year was 0.16971275. ESCO Technologies's return on assets of last year was 0.06613586.
==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
ESCO Technologies's gearing of this year was 0.07385285. ESCO Technologies's gearing of last year was 0.05746417.
==> Last year is lower than this year ==> Score 0.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
ESCO Technologies's current ratio of this year was 1.45252566. ESCO Technologies's current ratio of last year was 2.05190688.
==> Last year's current ratio is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
ESCO Technologies's number of shares in issue this year was 25.938. ESCO Technologies's number of shares in issue last year was 25.877.
==> There is larger number of shares in issue this year. ==> Score 0.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
ESCO Technologies's gross margin of this year was 0.41879765. ESCO Technologies's gross margin of last year was 0.42920717.
==> Last year's gross margin is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
ESCO Technologies's asset turnover of this year was 0.68736252. ESCO Technologies's asset turnover of last year was 0.53438449.
==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.
Evaluation
Piotroski F-Score
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Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
ESCO Technologies has an F-score of 4 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
ESCO Technologies (ESE) has a Piotroski F-Score of 4 as of Jun. 25, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on ESCO Technologies and its competitors. This is 33% below median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, ESCO Technologies' Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 4.00 to 9.00. According to the industry distribution chart, ESCO Technologies ranks #1511 out of 2425 companies in the Hardware industry, placing it in the top 62.3%.
Is ESCO Technologies' Piotroski F-Score too high?
ESCO Technologies' current Piotroski F-Score of 4 is 33% below median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 4.00 to a high of 9.00. The Hardware industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. ESCO Technologies' value of 4 is 20% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, ESCO Technologies ranks #1511 out of 2425 companies in the Hardware industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, ESCO Technologies has a GF Score™ of 82/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does ESCO Technologies' Piotroski F-Score compare to ST and NOVT?
According to the Hardware industry distribution chart, ESCO Technologies ranks #1511 out of 2425 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places ESCO Technologies in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. ESCO Technologies' value of 4 is 20% below this benchmark. Historically, ESCO Technologies' own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 4.00 to 9.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, ESCO Technologies has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for a Hardware company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Hardware companies is 5.00, based on 2,425 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. ESCO Technologies's current Piotroski F-Score of 4 is 20% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on ESCO Technologies and its competitors. For the Hardware industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. ESCO Technologies's current Piotroski F-Score is 4, which is 33% below median its own 10-year median of 6.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is ESCO Technologies stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, ESCO Technologies (ESE) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $186.16, compared to a current price of $346.51 — trading 86.1% above its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 4, which is 33% below median its 10-year median of 6.00 and 20% below the Hardware industry median of 5.00. ESCO Technologies' overall GF Score™ is 82/100 with 7 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For ESCO Technologies (ESE), the current Piotroski F-Score is 4 as of Jun. 25, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is ESCO Technologies (ESE) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, ESCO Technologies stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $346.51 is trading 86.1% above its estimated GF Value™ of $186.16.
GuruFocus considers ESCO Technologies to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for ESE:
Piotroski F-Score: 4 (33% below median its 10-year median of 6.00)
GF Value™: $186.16 vs. price of $346.51 (86.1% above fair value)
Industry Position: 20% below the Hardware median (#1511 of 2425)
No single metric tells the full story. See the ESE stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
ESCO Technologies Inc sells engineered products and systems for utility, industrial, aerospace, and commercial applications. The firm operates in three segments: Aerospace & Defense (A&D), Utility Solutions Group (USG), and RF Test & Measurement (Test). The Aerospace and Defense segment designs and manufactures specialty filtration and naval products. The USG segment provides diagnostic testing solutions. The Test segment provides its customers with the ability to identify, measure, and contain magnetic, electromagnetic, and acoustic energy.
82GF Score
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