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

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

Escalade Price Performance

Shares of Escalade stock opened at $14.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $207.21 million, a PE ratio of 16.43 and a beta of 1.24. Escalade has a twelve month low of $12.34 and a twelve month high of $22.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 4.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $13.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.49.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $57.30 million during the quarter. Escalade had a return on equity of 7.19% and a net margin of 4.55%. Sell-side analysts predict that Escalade will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 7th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 7th. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.93%.

Institutional Trading of Escalade

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted 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 buying an additional 3,569 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Escalade by 0.9% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 126,474 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after acquiring an additional 1,071 shares in the last quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Escalade in the first quarter worth approximately $484,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Escalade by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 16,940 shares of the company’s stock worth $340,000 after purchasing an additional 2,056 shares in the last quarter. 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.