Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Escalade from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Escalade Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ESCA opened at $14.31 on Friday. Escalade has a 1-year low of $11.41 and a 1-year high of $16.99. The company has a current ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $197.48 million, a PE ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Escalade news, CFO Stephen Wawrin sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total value of $26,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 41,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $533,000. The trade was a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Richard Fenton Baalmann, Jr. sold 5,490 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total value of $71,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 100,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,305,122. This trade represents a 5.18% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 12,000 shares of company stock worth $156,100. Insiders own 28.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Escalade

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Escalade by 2.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 221,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,096,000 after purchasing an additional 4,455 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new stake in Escalade in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Escalade in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of Escalade by 439.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 2,950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Certior Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Escalade during the third quarter valued at $141,000. Institutional investors own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

About Escalade

Escalade, Inc is a U.S.-based manufacturer and distributor of recreational equipment and specialty products for both consumer and commercial markets. Headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, the company operates through two principal business segments: Sporting Goods and Commercial Products. The Sporting Goods segment encompasses a diverse range of products such as hockey and lacrosse goal assemblies, fitness accessories, archery and hunting gear, and table tennis equipment. The Commercial Products segment focuses on seating solutions for restaurants, hospitality venues and other public spaces under the Top Seat brand, as well as storage, display products and industrial carts.

Within Sporting Goods, Escalade markets its products under proprietary brands including Bear® Archery, Gene St.