Insider Selling: Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Director Sells $49,809.27 in Stock

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) Director Edward Williams sold 2,373 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.99, for a total value of $49,809.27. Following the sale, the director directly owned 129,452 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,717,197.48. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Escalade Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ESCA opened at $20.07 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.77. Escalade, Incorporated has a 1 year low of $11.41 and a 1 year high of $23.07. The firm has a market cap of $276.36 million, a PE ratio of 12.02 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Escalade Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ESCA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings raised Escalade from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Escalade from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Strong Buy”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Escalade

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ESCA. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Escalade during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of Escalade by 439.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,950 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Escalade in the second quarter valued at approximately $156,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Escalade by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $160,000 after buying an additional 779 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Certior Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Escalade by 10.2% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. 65.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Escalade News

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

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.