Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

Escalade Price Performance

NASDAQ:ESCA opened at $13.00 on Friday. Escalade has a 52-week low of $12.34 and a 52-week high of $22.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $13.70 and a 200 day moving average of $14.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 4.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $180.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.29 and a beta of 1.24.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 14th. Investors of record on Monday, October 7th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 7th. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Escalade

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ESCA. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Escalade by 0.9% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 126,474 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,744,000 after acquiring an additional 1,071 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in Escalade by 5.6% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 1,330 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Escalade by 40.0% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Escalade by 40.6% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 2,033 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Escalade by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 498,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,860,000 after buying an additional 3,569 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

About Escalade

Escalade, Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, distributes, imports, and sells sporting goods in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company provides various sporting goods brands in basketball goals, archery, indoor and outdoor game recreation, and fitness products.