ESCO TECHNOLOGIES INC. vs Nokia Corporation, two Communication Equipment stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
The margin gap runs five to one: ESCO keeps 24.7% of revenue as net income selling filtration and test systems into defense and utility budgets, while Nokia keeps 3.3% selling network equipment into carrier ones. Returns compound the difference, 12.8% on assets against 1.8%. The multiples then hide it: Nokia trades at 99.7 times its depressed earnings, ESCO at 28.6 times its healthy ones, because the market prices Nokia's possible repair and ESCO's likely continuation. Both carry essentially no debt. A buyer here weighs a small business earning well against a large one priced for recovery it has yet to demonstrate; the page's two multiples make the odds explicit.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | ESE | NOK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $339.97 | $13.00 |
| Market cap | $8.8B | $70.4B |
| Sector | Communication Equipment | Communication Equipment |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| P/E | 28.6 | 99.7 |
| P/B | 5.56 | 3.08 |
| P/S | 7.07 | 3.26 |
| EV/EBITDA | 97.0 | 29.6 |
| Revenue growth | +39.3% | -2.4% |
| Gross margin | — | 43.5% |
| Operating margin | — | 4.5% |
| Net margin | 24.7% | 3.3% |
| Return on equity | 19.4% | 3.1% |
| Return on assets | 12.8% | 1.8% |
| Return on invested capital | 1.7% | 2.9% |
| FCF yield | 2.5% | 3.2% |
| Dividend yield | 0.1% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.10 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.45 | 1.58 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.47 | 3.21 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 5 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.