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

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

Escalade Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ESCA opened at $13.67 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $13.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.92. Escalade has a 52 week low of $11.42 and a 52 week high of $22.01. The company has a current ratio of 4.41, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $189.47 million, a PE ratio of 19.25 and a beta of 1.21.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, March 29th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Escalade had a net margin of 3.73% and a return on equity of 6.14%. The business had revenue of $65.51 million during the quarter. Equities analysts predict that Escalade will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 12th. Escalade’s payout ratio is 84.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ESCA. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Escalade in the 3rd quarter valued at $291,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Escalade during the 3rd quarter worth $228,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Escalade by 30.6% during the 3rd quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 31,543 shares of the company’s stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 7,396 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Escalade during the 4th quarter worth $118,000. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Escalade during the 3rd quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

About Escalade

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.