ESE
ESCO Technologies Inc.
ESE offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has a slight edge over ESE overall, supported by lower modeled downside.
ESE Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
ESE's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
ESE PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 19x | $235 | — |
| Cheap | 22x | $268 | +14% |
| Forward | 25x | $235 | — |
| Fair | 29x | $357 | +52% |
| Expensive | 42x | $511 | +117% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
ESE's PE is in its cheap range at 19x. On analysts' estimates for next year's earnings, today's price would be 25x.
MSFT PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 25x | $523 | — |
| Cheap | 27x | $525 | +0.4% |
| Current | 27x | $523 | — |
| Fair | 34x | $652 | +25% |
| Expensive | 37x | $711 | +36% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
MSFT has the edge over ESE in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
ESE Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly deteriorating | |
| Growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Weakening | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for ESE, but weaker profitability. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
MSFT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Moderate | |
| High |
MSFT has the edge over ESE on the outlook, with more favorable valuation and profitability expectations.
ESE Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $9.32 | -23% |
| Q2 2026 | $12.14 | +173% |
| Q1 2026 | $11.89 | +161% |
| Q4 2025 | $11.75 | +176% |
| Q3 2025 | $11.55 | +193% |
| Q2 2025 | $4.44 | +15% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.56 | +20% |
| Q4 2024 | $4.26 | +18% |
| Q3 2024 | $3.94 | +10% |
ESE has the edge over MSFT on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
MSFT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $20.79 | +8.6% |
| Q3 2026 | $19.15 | +36% |
| Q2 2026 | $17.95 | +32% |
| Q1 2026 | $16.80 | +30% |
| Q4 2025 | $15.99 | +29% |
| Q3 2025 | $14.06 | +16% |
| Q2 2025 | $13.64 | +16% |
| Q1 2025 | $12.93 | +12% |
| Q4 2024 | $12.41 | +12% |
MSFT's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $19.15 over the past year, up 36% from the year before, and higher year over year for 14 quarters in a row.
ESE Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $339M | +14% |
| Q1 2026 | $309.3M | +17% |
| Q4 2025 | $289.7M | +17% |
| Q3 2025 | $352.7M | +18% |
| Q2 2025 | $296.3M | +14% |
| Q1 2025 | $265.5M | +6.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $247M | +13% |
| Q3 2024 | $298.5M | +9.5% |
ESE's revenue has grown year over year for 19 quarters in a row: $339M last quarter, up 14% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 12% | +0.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | 14% | -1.1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 13% | +1.1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 17% | +2.1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 11% | -3.1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 15% | +3.5 points |
| Q4 2024 | 12% | +3.2 points |
| Q3 2024 | 15% | -0.4 points |
ESE's operating margin was 12% last quarter, up 0.9 points from the same quarter a year ago.
MSFT Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $92.3B | +19% |
| Q2 2026 | $90B | +18% |
| Q1 2026 | $82.9B | +18% |
| Q4 2025 | $81.3B | +17% |
| Q3 2025 | $77.7B | +18% |
| Q2 2025 | $76.4B | +18% |
| Q1 2025 | $70.1B | +13% |
| Q4 2024 | $69.6B | +12% |
MSFT has the edge over ESE on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 50% | +0.9 points |
| Q2 2026 | 45% | +0.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 46% | +0.7 points |
| Q4 2025 | 47% | +1.6 points |
| Q3 2025 | 49% | +2.3 points |
| Q2 2025 | 45% | +1.8 points |
| Q1 2025 | 46% | +1.1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 45% | +1.9 points |
MSFT has the edge over ESE on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
ESE Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $47.3M | -27% |
| Q1 2026 | -$811K | -106% |
| Q4 2025 | $63M | +117% |
| Q3 2025 | $97.8M | +61% |
| Q2 2025 | $64.9M | +135% |
| Q1 2025 | $14M | +585% |
| Q4 2024 | $29M | +3126% |
| Q3 2024 | $60.9M | +44% |
ESE has the edge over MSFT on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
MSFT Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $18.6B | -27% |
| Q2 2026 | $19.6B | -23% |
| Q1 2026 | $15.8B | -22% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.9B | -9.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $25.7B | +33% |
| Q2 2025 | $25.6B | +9.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $20.3B | -3.2% |
| Q4 2024 | $6.5B | -29% |
MSFT's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $60B over the past year, down 23% from the year before.
ESE Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.2% | +42K shares |
| 1 year | +0.2% | +62K shares |
| 3 years | +0.6% | +153K shares |
| 5 years | -0.9% | -234K shares |
| Available history | -0.4% | -117K shares |
ESE has 26M diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2024 | — |
| Q2 2024 | $809,000 |
| Q1 2024 | $5.1M |
| Q4 2023 | $2.1M |
| Q3 2023 | — |
| Q2 2023 | $184,000 |
| Q1 2023 | $8.1M |
| Q4 2022 | $4.1M |
MSFT Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.1% | -7M shares |
| 1 year | -0.3% | -20M shares |
| 3 years | -0.2% | -16M shares |
| 5 years | -1.6% | -121M shares |
| Available history | -3.2% | -245M shares |
MSFT has the edge over ESE on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.4B |
| Q2 2026 | $4.6B |
| Q1 2026 | $4.6B |
| Q4 2025 | $7.4B |
| Q3 2025 | $5.7B |
| Q2 2025 | $4.5B |
| Q1 2025 | $4.8B |
| Q4 2024 | $5B |
MSFT spent $21B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 5.2% from the year before.
ESE Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 0.0x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.4x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 2.1x | Moderate |
| Q1 2025 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q3 2024 | 0.3x | Very low |
ESE's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 2.1 years a year ago.
MSFT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
MSFT's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA).
ESE Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 34.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 9.4 | Oversold |
ESE's weekly RSI is 34 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 9 (oversold).
MSFT Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 62.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 68.0 | Neutral |
MSFT's weekly RSI is 62 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 68 (neutral).
ESE PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | ESE | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 19x | 28x | 30% below |
| PE % | 15 | 35 | 20 pts below |
ESE has the edge over MSFT on valuation relative to its sector.
MSFT PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | MSFT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 27x | 28x | 2% below |
| PE % | 16 | 35 | 19 pts below |
MSFT is trading at 27x earnings, in line with the Technology sector's median of 28x.
ESE Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $248.2 | 5.2% below |
| 20 week MA | $279.8 | 16% below |
| 50 week MA | $273.0 | 14% below |
| 100 week MA | $226.1 | 4.1% above |
| 200 week MA | $166.7 | 41% above |
ESE has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 41% above its 200-week average.
MSFT Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $524.7 | 0.3% below |
| 20 week MA | $484.8 | 7.9% above |
| 50 week MA | $446.9 | 17% above |
| 100 week MA | $453.8 | 15% above |
| 200 week MA | $411.5 | 27% above |
MSFT has the edge over ESE on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
ESE Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $91.7 | $101.4 | +11% |
| 2021 | $101.4 | $86.7 | -15% |
| 2022 | $86.7 | $88.0 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | $88.0 | $117.0 | +33% |
| 2024 | $117.0 | $134.6 | +15% |
| 2025 | $134.6 | $200.5 | +49% |
| 2026 YTD | $200.5 | $235.3 | +17% |
ESE has the edge over MSFT on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
MSFT Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $159.0 | $222.8 | +40% |
| 2021 | $222.8 | $334.7 | +50% |
| 2022 | $334.7 | $238.7 | -29% |
| 2023 | $238.7 | $376.0 | +58% |
| 2024 | $376.0 | $430.5 | +14% |
| 2025 | $430.5 | $487.7 | +13% |
| 2026 YTD | $487.7 | $523.0 | +7.2% |
MSFT has finished higher in five of the last six years, two of them by more than 50%. It's up 7.2% so far in 2026.