StockNews.com Lowers Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) to Hold

StockNews.com lowered shares of Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning.

Escalade Stock Performance

ESCA stock opened at $13.67 on Tuesday. Escalade has a 1 year low of $11.42 and a 1 year high of $22.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $189.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.25 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 4.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $13.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.90.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 29th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $65.51 million for the quarter. Escalade had a net margin of 3.73% and a return on equity of 6.14%. On average, research analysts predict that Escalade will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, July 8th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 8th. Escalade’s payout ratio is currently 84.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Escalade

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of Escalade by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 23,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $474,000 after acquiring an additional 1,369 shares during the period. Barclays PLC acquired a new stake in Escalade in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Escalade by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 16,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 2,056 shares during the period. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Escalade in the 3rd quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.