Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Wednesday.

Escalade Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ESCA opened at $13.94 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 4.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $193.24 million, a PE ratio of 15.32 and a beta of 1.22. Escalade has a fifty-two week low of $12.34 and a fifty-two week high of $22.01.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter. Escalade had a net margin of 4.55% and a return on equity of 7.16%. The company had revenue of $62.53 million for the quarter. Analysts expect that Escalade will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 14th. Investors of record on Monday, October 7th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 7th. Escalade’s payout ratio is currently 65.93%.

Institutional Trading of Escalade

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Escalade in the second quarter valued at $15,458,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of Escalade by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,000 after buying an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Escalade by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 498,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,860,000 after acquiring an additional 3,569 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Escalade by 40.0% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 1,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Escalade during the first quarter worth about $199,000. 65.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Escalade Company Profile

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.