StockNews.com Lowers Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Tuesday.

Escalade Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ESCA opened at $13.67 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.90. Escalade has a twelve month low of $11.42 and a twelve month high of $22.01. The company has a market capitalization of $189.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.25 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 4.41, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 29th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $65.51 million for the quarter. Escalade had a net margin of 3.73% and a return on equity of 6.14%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Escalade will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 8th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.39%. Escalade’s payout ratio is presently 84.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC acquired a new stake in Escalade in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Escalade during the third quarter worth approximately $47,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Escalade in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $118,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Escalade by 40.6% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 2,033 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Escalade in the third quarter valued at about $228,000. 65.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.