Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) Short Interest Update

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) saw a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 92,300 shares, a growth of 21.8% from the December 15th total of 75,800 shares. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 28,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Escalade

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Escalade in the third quarter valued at approximately $166,000. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Escalade by 251.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 13,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,000 after purchasing an additional 9,432 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Escalade by 301.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 18,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 14,204 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Escalade by 40.6% in the third quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 20,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 6,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC raised its position in Escalade by 195.4% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 43,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 28,503 shares during the last quarter. 65.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Escalade from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th.

Escalade Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of ESCA opened at $15.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 3.45. Escalade has a 52-week low of $12.34 and a 52-week high of $20.23. The firm has a market cap of $208.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.96 and a beta of 1.27. The business’s fifty day moving average is $14.88 and its 200-day moving average is $14.17.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.00%. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.83%.

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.