Insider Selling: Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Director Sells $636,008.70 in Stock

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) Director Edward Williams sold 30,315 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.98, for a total value of $636,008.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 132,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,773,283.26. The trade was a 18.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Escalade Trading Down 3.6%

Escalade stock opened at $20.07 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $19.34 and a 200-day moving average of $17.77. The stock has a market cap of $276.36 million, a P/E ratio of 12.02 and a beta of 0.58. Escalade, Incorporated has a 52 week low of $11.41 and a 52 week high of $23.07.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.52. The firm had revenue of $57.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $57.60 million. Escalade had a net margin of 9.46% and a return on equity of 13.11%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Escalade, Incorporated will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be given a dividend of $0.1525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 6th. This represents a $0.61 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.53%.

Escalade News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Escalade this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Escalade recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.1525 per share, or $0.61 annualized, representing an approximate 2.9% yield and a 36.5% payout ratio. Escalade dividend and insider trading report
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations: earnings per share were $0.68 versus the $0.16 consensus estimate, while revenue of $57.7 million was broadly in line with forecasts. Analysts currently expect approximately $1.56 in full-year EPS. Recent rating changes have also included upgrades to “Buy” and “Strong Buy.”
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles about Cadillac Escalade SUVs—including the Escalade IQ’s $54,995 customization package, the Escalade-V and Escalade Sport—refer to General Motors’ Cadillac vehicle brand, not Escalade, Incorporated. These stories should not have a direct effect on ESCA’s revenue or operations. Cadillac Escalade customization article
• Negative Sentiment: Director Edward E. Williams sold 33,050 shares over August 11–13 for approximately $693,000. The sales reduced his holdings by roughly 20% across the reported transactions, although he still owns 129,452 shares. Repeated insider selling can weigh on investor confidence, particularly after the stock’s recent advance. SEC filing for Escalade director stock sales

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on ESCA. Zacks Research upgraded Escalade from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Escalade from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Escalade

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESCA. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Escalade by 3.4% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 20,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $344,000 after purchasing an additional 661 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Escalade by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $160,000 after buying an additional 779 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Escalade by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 221,996 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,995,000 after buying an additional 878 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its position in Escalade by 2.5% in the third quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 41,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $526,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Certior Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Escalade by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC now owns 12,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,000 after buying an additional 1,143 shares during the last quarter. 65.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Escalade Company Profile

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.